Mark of Athena- The Re-run
by ArtemisApollo97
Summary: Her brother is still an idiot, but at least he's in kicking range now. With new idiots- uh, friends and new lands, Louisa still has some rather choice words to say about it all, but now she gets to do something much more fun than balancing spanners on Leo's head or being Annabeth's bodyguard! A continuation of my Heroes of Olympus rewrite. Louisa has been added! T for swearing!
1. Chapter 1

**MoA is complete! HoH is underway! I am enjoying this! :D**

* * *

"Oh, Terminus, come on. You love me."

"No. No I do not, certainly _do not_. I'm slapping you for suggesting otherwise."

"But Percy's down there 'n' I need ta kill him."

"This is _exactly_ why you're not allowed!" Terminus shakes his head, disgusted. "After last time, I would have thought you got that message! Now move that pile of rope to the left, two inches."

"No."

"Outrageous!"

"I wanna see my brother!"

"You are _not_ coming back in _my_ camp!"

"Lou, _what_ did you _do_?"

"Um… I'll explain later." Louisa smiled sheepishly at Jason. "Spoiler alert, Octavian _nearly_ died. Spoiler alert- tragically, he didn't. Terminus, come _on_. Percy needs his head kicked in 'n', as his sister, I'm the best one for the job!"

"No!"

"Lou," Annabeth cut in, "for now, please just stay on the ship. We need this to go well and if you're nearly killing whoever Octavian is… that doesn't sound very peaceful, does it?"

"You'll understand when ya meet him." Louisa muttered. "Fine. But I ain't happy 'bout this."

"Noted." Annabeth smiled.

Louisa followed them to the side, Terminus hovering by her shoulder. She watched the others climb down, leaning on the rail with a huff. She saw Reyna approach them and grinned.

"Reyna!" She called, waving. Reyna glanced up very quickly and then looked back to Jason. "Ugh. Hey Rey-Rey, don't ignore me! Terminus, go 'n' tell her-"

"I'm not taking my eyes off you."

"Pervert. Fine. Ya got a megaphone or somethin'?"

"Are you _sure_ you're Percy Jackson's sister?" Terminus tutted. Louisa frowned, turning back. Her brother _was_ down there somewhere, her Idiot-Senses were tingling. She saw a small group approaching the Greeks, barely giving them a second thought. Then she realised the middle one was wearing purple. And had dark hair.

Her Idiot-Senses screamed at her. Percy broke away from his two new friends and surged forward. Annabeth moved at the same time. Louisa groaned, elbows on the rail. She drove her hands through her hair and huffed, whipping round to glare at her statue baby-sitter.

"Really?" She demanded of him. "Really _really_ really?"

"Yes. Really really." She looked back in time to see Annabeth judo-flip him. "Well, that was inappropriate." Terminus huffed, glancing back and forth as Louisa cackled.

"Nah, that's Annabeth. HEY DICKWAD!" Percy, now on his feet, started. He looked up. She could feel his surprise.

"BITCHFACE!" His reply came. As one, they sent the other identically rude hand gestures.

"WHY THE FUCK DID THEY MAKE YOU PRAETOR?" For a moment, she could feel his confusion. He said something to Annabeth and then looked back up, motioning for her to come down.

"No, I _forbid it_!" Terminus hissed in her ear. Another statue of him pops up by Percy and relays the message. Seconds later, Louisa's version of him came back with a message. "Cancelling out the profanity, your brother says you are a dumb female canine with faeces for brains."

"Aw, such a good praetor."

"I will reprimand him."

"Please do."

* * *

Louisa didn't get to join them for lunch. Terminus brought her up a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches, but he still wouldn't allow her to leave the ship. She sat and played with a length of rope for a bit, practising her knots. She wasn't sure how long had passed, but she was brought back to reality when Leo appeared at the top of the ladder, talking to someone over his shoulder. She waved at him, dropping one end of the rope in her lap. She was _not _impressed when Octavian climbed up behind Leo.

"Um, what is _he_ doin' here?"

"I could say the same about you." Octavian glowered, reaching for a sword that wasn't there.

"Bet ya right pissed ya didn't make praetor, dipshit." Louisa smirked, standing.

"Hey, no. I was told to bring Octavian up here to see the ship. Prove we're harmless and all that." Leo smiled. Louisa felt something cold crawl down her back. "What?" Leo asked. "Something in my teeth?"

"No. No, you're fine. Just… keep an eye on… _that_." She scowled at the augur. Before Octavian could say anything, Leo clapped him on the shoulder and started to lead him away, waving at Louisa with a smile. "Terminus?" She asked.

"Yes?" The statue materialised next to her.

"There's no-one else on this ship, right? Can ya tell that?"

"Just you, the augur and that fire boy. Why? Intruders?"

"No… no, I… maybe it's just Octavian, I hate him."

"I think all of San Francisco knows that."

"Good."


	2. Chapter 2

Louisa sulked, tying noose after noose and imagining tightening it around Octavian's scrawny neck. Terminus glowered down at her, sniffing disapprovingly every few seconds. Louisa asked how a statue could sniff. He told her to cut her hair four inches. "And don't even _think_ about strangling the augur."

"What, how did you know?" She feigned surprise, pulling the rope taut. Terminus frowned. "Ya borin'. It's just Octavian, ain't no one gonna miss him much."

"That sentence was improper."

"Pickle fish banana float elephant cushion."

"What?"

"Exactly. Let me go down for five minutes-"

"Absolutely not! I'm putting my foot down!"

"What foot?" Louisa couldn't help it. Terminus flushed a dark grey and started lecturing her in rapid Latin. Louisa zoned him out.

He was just criticising her sneakers- _too dirty, too tattered, too graceus!- _when New Rome exploded. Ice slammed into her gut. Terminus screeched in an- ironically- ungodly way and vanished. Octavian ran past two seconds later, toga smoking and singed.

"He's crazy! He's going to kill us all! I was right, I was right!" He scrambled to the ladder. Louisa suppressed the urge to stomp on his head, sprinting to the control room. Leo stood at the controls, muttering to himself.

"Leo, what the fuck?" He spun the Wii remote, hit a few buttons. More explosions, she could hear screaming.

"Gotta destroy them, gotta destroy them…" He chanted maniacally. Louisa rugby-tackled him. His head hit the floor with a _crack_ and he was out. She snatched the Wii remote from his grasp, mumbling apologies. She clicked the button on the back, hearing the whirr of the cannons retracting. A moment later, Percy and Annabeth arrived. Seconds later, a dragon landed on the deck, depositing Piper and an unconscious Jason. Louisa marvelled at it for a second.

The dragon shrunk into a large boy. He picked Jason up and followed Piper below deck. Louisa stared at the space the dragon had been. _I have now seen everythin'_, she thought.

"What the hell?" Percy demanded, snapping her from her thoughts. He advanced, pen in hand.

"No!" Louisa held her hand out to him, moving to stand over Leo. "Somethin' weird is goin' on, don't-"

"Yeah, really weird! He just bombed New Rome!"

"No, he didn't!"

"He clearly did!"

"No, I-"

"That's enough! We have to get moving!" Annabeth said fiercely. "Percy, help me. Lou, get Leo to the infirmary." She shot Leo's unconscious form a cold look. Louisa bit her tongue, stooping. She pulled Leo into a sitting position, hefted him over her shoulders a second later. He was mumbling incoherently in Spanish.

The Romans started firing back, buffeting the ship. Louisa stumbled, throwing a hand against the wall, yelling for Coach.

Piper leant over Jason's bed in the infirmary, tipping nectar into his mouth.

The ship rocked again and then lurched. Louisa staggered over, laying Leo down on the bed beside Jason. Her cousin was bleeding from a headwound below his hairline, a swelling the size of a plum. She was glad to report Leo's head looked a little better than his.

"What's going on?" Piper asked heatedly. "Did Leo _really_ fire?"

"No! Yes, but no!" Louisa shook her head. "We need ta get outta here." She turned at movement behind her. The large boy that carried Jason in came back with handfuls of bandages.

"I'm Frank." He smiled sheepishly, dropping the bandages in Piper's arms.

"I'm Lou." Louisa replied absently. "You need ta explain this dragon thing ta me later. I'm gonna go help get the ship movin', you OK here?" She asked Piper.

"We're fine," Piper nodded, "go." Louisa nodded her thanks, rushing back out. The ship was looking rather sorry for itself- aft crossbows had been reduced to kindling, the foresail was in tatters, the satellite array for their internet and TV had been blown to bits. There was a groaning on the port side, she just hoped they didn't take a quick, heavy landing. Her brother and Annabeth were struggling with the controls. She shoved between them, snatching the Wii remote from Percy. She threw her arm up, spun the remote in a circle over her head, smashing a series of buttons. Leo had shown her this a few times, gods forbid she got it wrong now.

The Argo II tipped to port side. Percy caught Annabeth as they stumbled.

"Sorry!" Louisa called. She flipped a switch and the ship jolted upwards, engine groaning. She grabbed a second Wii remote. "Please tell me I'm doin' this right." She muttered, pumping them as fast as she could. Gradually, the Romans' missiles faded. The ship shuddered along, Festus creaking and whining. The dragon-head was coughing up smoke, like hairballs. "Uh, I don't think we're gonna fly for long."

"Get us as far as you can." Annabeth said, squeezing Louisa's arm. "I'm going to check on the others. Percy, stay and help, whatever you can do." Percy nodded. Annabeth disappeared.

"What happened?"

"Not sure. Octavian ran out screamin', I _didn't_ kick him down the ladder 'n' Leo _was_ firin', but it… it weren't _Leo_?"

"Well, that makes sense."

"Bro, what did you expect, like, seriously? When has anythin' ever made sense?" Percy grunted in agreement. Louisa sighed, elbowed him. "When we land, I'm gonna kick ya ass. Dipshit." She added at his incredulous look.

"You've missed me really."

"Eh, it ain't as fun beatin' Jason 'n' Grover at Mario Kart."

"Oh, I hope you weren't mean to Grover."

"Nah, man, never. Love the little weirdo." The ship swayed to starboard. Percy grabbed her shoulder. "I got it, I got it!" She said frantically, scanning the control panel. "Um…"

"You don't know what you're doing, are you?"

"I'd love ta see you do better, Leo's a nutcase, I ain't ever gonna understand how his mind works. _Not_," she emphasised at his frown, "the kind of nutcase ta fire on a peace mission." Percy hummed dubiously. Then he tensed.

"Did you get that?"

"Salt water?"

"Yeah!"

"Uh," she stood on her toes, peering forward, "Festus! Festus, where's the salt water?" He clicked at her. When she didn't understand, he swung his head to the left. Louisa tipped the Wii remotes in that direction, maybe a little too sharply. A pull in her gut and Percy's smile confirmed it. "Festus, aim for that! Bro, go to port, we're gonna help land this ship in the water." Percy inclined his head. She shook the Wii remotes off and they ran in opposite directions.

She stood on the edge of the ship. Her senses were firing alerts at her, _there it is, there it is_! _Salt water_! Festus whirred, steering them over it. Dozens of oars were broken and twisted, smoke was pluming out from somewhere, Festus was definitely complaining about _something_. Leo would _not_ be happy.

The edge of the water passed under her feet. She pressed the tips of her fingers together, palms flat and face down. The tug in her stomach sharpened. She pushed her hands down, seeing the water bow under her. Spreading her hands, she extended the dip in the water, watched it disappear under the ship, could feel the pressure circulating within it. She was dimly aware of Percy on the other side. Glancing back, she saw the tail end of the ship drift over the edge of the water.

Coach Hedge could be heard shouting from the forward railing, "YEAH, BRING IT ON, LAKE!" Louisa shook her head, shoving her hands into the air. Water erupted skywards with a roar that made her ears ring. It engulfed the base of the ship, linking in with her brother's side. The ship bounced, once, twice, and then steadied. Coach whooped and laughed. She crouched slowly, bringing her arms down to her side, tucking her elbows in. The ship lowered. They set down with a few light bobs. She straightened, extending her arms to the side and moving them in a circle. She looked back, thrust her hands that way. The Argo II zipped along on a cold, spraying stream of water.

She turned back to check on the helm. Two steps in, a gold blur materialised in front of her, knocking her back a few paces. She swore loudly.

"Wait a sec," she frowned, "I know you. Fuckin' Arion." He whickered, tossing his mane. On his back, a young dark-skinned girl with golden-brown hair and golden eyes sheathed her cavalry sword. Arion snorted at Louisa, _fuck you too_. The girl dismounted, patting the horse's neck.

"Thank you, Arion." He nuzzled her hair and disappeared in another golden flash. Louisa fumed quietly.

"I hate that horse."

"You know Arion?"

"Uh, yeah. I would say this is gonna sound weird, but I did see a dragon turn into some random kid, so… hi, I'm Lou. Arion's half-sister." The girl blinked at her.

"You're Percy's sister too, aren't you?" Louisa nodded. "I'm Hazel. You and Percy have the same eyes." She squinted. "Sort of. You know Nico too, don't you?"

"I know a lot of people. How come Arion let you ride him?"

"I'll… explain later." She promised, hesitating. "Nico's my brother."

"Oh, yay, another cousin." Louisa threw an arm around her shoulders. "Welcome to the fam. Now, 'scuse me, got some work ta do." She turned back to face the way they had come, hopping up onto the edge of the ship. Percy had kept up their movement, but the ship was starting to slow. Louisa hopped onto the side, ignoring Hazel's concerned squeak. She held her hands over the water, felt the tug in her gut once more. Keeping her hands horizontal, she moved her arms in circular motions, feeling the phantom pressure of the pull of the water in her hands. They picked up speed.

The twins let up two thirds of the way across, arms aching. Leo was at the control panel when they came back, the others glowering at his side. He was desperately trying to explain himself and find out what had happened to his ship. He brightened, almost relieved, when Louisa walked in, surging forward to grip her hands.

"I didn't mean to fire, I promise! I didn't realise I was doing it!" He implored, hands warming slightly.

"I know." Louisa promised. "I don't know what happened, but I know it weren't you firin'."

"Hold on a sec," Percy made a T with his hands, "why are you so calm about this? New Rome has gone up in smoke, the ship's damaged _and_ we've got a bunch of pissed off Romans planning to come after us." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. Louisa squinted. Distantly, eagles were circling in formation. "And you just _believe_ him?" He fumed, expression thunderous. Leo tensed, squeaking. Louisa pushed him behind her, folding her arms and staring her brother down. Leo gripped her arm, biting on his thumb as he surveyed the others.

"I've spent _months_ workin' with Leo buildin' this ship, he _knows_ how important this quest is, ya really think he's gonna jeopardize _everythin'_ over some stupid spat with those idiots?" She waved vaguely back at the Romans. "He says he didn't do it 'n' I _know_ he didn't." She tipped her chin up defiantly. Percy swore in Ancient Greek, turning away and muttering furiously. Louisa whipped round, glaring past Leo. "'N' you," she focused on Annabeth, "ya know Leo better than that."

"I know." Annabeth said curtly. "But it doesn't make sense."

"Then we'll figure it out. Ya'll supposed ta be part of the Seven or some shit, ya can't start fightin' already." Coach Hedge picked that moment to come in, swinging his bat.

"DIE!"

"Coach!" Louisa snapped her fingers, flicked them in his direction. The bat was whisked out of his hands on a tiny hurricane.

"Hey, that's my bat!" He protested. "Square up, cupcake!" He dropped into a defensive stance, fists raised.

"No, Coach." Louisa rolled her eyes.

"Just as well, you know I'd win." He stood, straightening his cap. "What was with all the explosions, huh? What'd I miss? And why are those birds following us?" Annabeth quickly filled him in, frowning at Leo the entire time. Louisa glared back. Leo still clung to her arm, unsure which angry demigod was going to kick his head in first. When Coach started sizing Leo up, Annabeth told him to check for fires. "I already did that."

"Well, do it again." Coach huffed and stomped out, snatching his bat from the floor on his way.

"Leo." Louisa said, startling him from his thoughts. "What repairs are needed?"

"R-right." He pried himself away, feeling her at his back while he checked the controls and listened to Festus. His heart hammered in his chest- five minutes into this quest and he had destroyed New Rome, done extensive damage to his ship- _oh gods, the engine sounded like an asthmatic steam train-_ and pissed off six- well, five, Jason was unconscious- pissed off five powerful demigods and a bat-wielding, blood-thirsty satyr.

The ship listed to the side. Hazel groaned, hands over her mouth. Leo glanced back at her, hurriedly looking away when he caught Percy's glower. Festus told him the aerial oars port side were knocked out of alignment, some broken. The ship tipped again, more so than before. Someone grabbed Leo's elbow, keeping him upright. He snuck a look over his shoulder, seeing Louisa make a rude hand gesture to her brother.

He had screwed up _big time_, spectacularly so. He didn't know _how_ or _why_, but he had. And yet… with Louisa's hand on his arm, with her at his back like a short, foul-mouthed bodyguard, violently defending him, Leo realised something. _You've essentially started World War Three, Valdez; Percy looks like he's going to kill you and that's only if Annabeth doesn't do it first. And even then…_

_Even then, Lou still stands by you. _


	3. Chapter 3

**I am going to remove love triangles. Don't need them. Also Reyna headcanon.**

* * *

"OK," Leo said, cautiously facing the others, "we've got a few things to get for basic repairs." Louisa still stood between him and the others, her attention on him, listening intently. Her sea green eyes were fierce, but softened slightly with reassurance. Leo, distracted by her gaze, had to mentally slap himself to remember their task, clamping his hands together. "We need celestial bronze, tar and lime."

"Limes?" Frank asked. Leo wasn't sure when the big guy had come up on the deck, but he seemed to have replaced Annabeth. The blonde was nowhere in sight. Frank reminded him of a baby sumo wrestler, but kept that thought to himself. He didn't need to annoy anyone else. Not right now, anyway.

"No, _lime_. Calcium carbonate. It's used in cement. Festus, can you scan for bronze please?"

"He can do that?" Frank marvelled. Leo wanted to say _you should've seen him when he had a body_, but that hurt. So he kept that to himself too. He half-turned at the waist, watching the control panel as Festus scanned. A hand on his arm, gentle. Louisa smiled encouragingly at him.

"Don't worry, Valdez. You ain't done nothin' wrong."

"At least one of you thinks so." There was a sigh from the stairwell and Annabeth appeared.

"Jason's resting now," she informed, "but Lou, could you take a look too? Your healing is slightly better than mine."

"Your healing?" Leo asked. Louisa nodded, gesturing to herself and her brother.

"Water heals us. If we really try, we can use it to heal others too."

"Oh, sweet. Do you reckon fire heals me?" Leo drew a pair of scissors from his belt, holding them over his palm. Louisa confiscated them, shaking her head.

"Bronze." She reminded him.

"Yes. Sorry. Festus?" The dragon clicked, coughed up more smoke. Leo winced at the sight of it. "He says there's some on a little island, not far from here. As for the tar, that can be from anywhere, a roofing company or something. Can I just say," he looked at Louisa and then at Percy, "I'm very impressed with how you two landed the ship. Wish I'd seen that. Festus says it was awesome."

"Coach tried ta drown himself at the front."

"Did Coach happen to try and fight the lake?"

"Eh, somethin' like that." Louisa shrugged. Annabeth tapped her chin with her fingers.

"We'll split into teams. Lou, you stay here and keep an eye on things. We need a salt water expert on board and maybe you can help Jason too. Frank, do you think you could turn into a dragon or something again? Percy and I will go with you to get the tar."

"Yeah, can do." Frank nodded. Percy grinned at him. Annabeth looked at Leo.

"See if Hazel can summon that fast horse again, go for the celestial bronze."

"Yeah," Percy agreed, "Hazel's good with precious metals. She'll get it in a cinch." He fixed a look on Leo. Despite his smile, his eyes burned, as if challenging Leo to mess up. Louisa coughed loudly, drawing his gaze away.

"Ugh," she cleared her throat, over-exaggeratedly, "man, that was random. Hope I'm not comin' down with somethin'." Percy grimaced at her, seeing right through her. He said nothing.

"Ok then," Annabeth said, "we'll meet back on the ship at dark." She, Percy and dragon-Frank took off a minute or so later.

Leo turned to Louisa.

"Thank you." He said.

"I've got ya back, Valdez, ya know that."

"I know. Makes a nice change of pace." She clenched her fist and he bumped it with his own, smiling. "I'm going to find Hazel, see if she's up for a treasure hunt. Don't button-mash."

"No promises." She grinned wickedly, laughing at his mock-horrified look. She pushed him away playfully. A couple of minutes later, she saw the golden blur of Arion zipping across the water. She left Festus in charge of the ship, had Coach walk the deck- he was still sopping wet- as an extra pair of eyes. "Don't touch the controls." She told him. "Don't ya button-mash either." And then she went belowdecks. Piper was slumped in her seat, feet propped on the edge. She was frowning intently at her knife. Jason was still out cold, bandages around his head. "Hey, Pipes." Louisa patted her head on the way past. "You OK?"

"Mmm." Piper hummed, sheathing the blade. She started to protest when Louisa started unwrapping the bandages.

"It's OK, I'm gonna try 'n' help him." Louisa looked to the sink on the back wall, holding her hand out. Water trailed out, arching out of the faucet and straight to her. It coated her hand like a mitten and she gently rested it on the knot on Jason's head. Piper watched, fascinated, as the swelling went down and the last of the bruising slowly faded. In less than a minute, there was no sign of the injury at all. Jason woke up, squinting up at his cousin. Louisa flicked her hand, the water shot across the room and disappeared down the basin. "Sup, Sparky." She grinned, folding her arms.

"This is a good start," he muttered, sitting up, "start of the quest, and I've been knocked out by a brick." Louisa snorted bemusedly. Piper budged her aside with her hip and a disapproving look. Jason smiled at Piper, gripping her hand.

"You OK?"

"I'm OK." He nodded. Louisa looked from one to the other, pursing her lips.

"Yeah, thank you, Lou," she said in a gruff mimic of Jason, waving her arms around like a conductor, "I won't do it again, Lou, sorry for being an idiot, Lou-"

"Thank you, Lou." Jason laughed. "I'll _try_ not to do it again, but it's not like I threw the brick myself."

"Listen, ya keep mouthin', I'm gonna turn this ship around, go back, find that same brick 'n' smash it inta _that_ side of ya head 'n' even it out."

"I'll bear that in mind." Jason nodded. He looked to Piper. "What happened?"

"Oh, please tell me you've not got amnesia again?"

"No, no. I'm fine. I remember the ship firing, but I don't know what happened after that, other than I had a headache." Together, they brought him up to speed, Louisa instantly insisting none of it was Leo's fault, "'n' don't even try 'n' say otherwise or I'll get that brick."

"Do you have any idea what might have made him do it?"

"Oh, I don't know. Our luck is shit, the gods are a mess, people hate us. Could be anythin'." She rubbed at her chin. "Ya'll hungry?"

"How are you so _calm_?" Piper quizzed, baffled.

"It's a lie. I want pizza." Louisa swivelled on her heel and left. Piper and Jason exchanged looks, and then followed.

* * *

Piper sat in her cabin after their meal. Not much was said while they ate, Louisa offered nothing to the conversation, far more interested in wolfing down her pizza. Her appetite had always amazed Piper, but she figured for a demigod of Louisa's physical prowess and one that was always charging about on whatever manic idea took her fancy, a bottomless-pit-stomach-appetite made sense. Piper made sure Jason had eaten, sent him to his cabin to rest up for a bit before the others returned.

So, she was alone in her room. Leo and his siblings had designed them to be ideal for each resident; the rooms automatically took on the favoured temperature of the residents, the pillows were stuffed with Pegasus-down- _no pegasi were harmed in the making of these pillows_, Leo had promised. She propped the pillows against the headrest, reclining on them, Katoptris in her grasp; she frowned at the blade. A human-headed bull rising from water. Her, Percy and Jason in a dark, well-shaped room that was slowly filling with water. Two large shadows either side of a bronze jar.

There was a thump on her door, making her jump. The thumps continued in loud, quick succession. Piper took a breath, heart pounding. She knew only one demigod that knocked like that.

"Louisa." She said upon opening the door. "Must you knock like a jack-hammer?"

"Yes. How else ya gonna know it's me?"

"By opening the door?" Piper asked, offering a sarcastic smile. Louisa mimicked it with a mocking _by openin' the doooor_. Piper raised her brows at this, made to shut the door. Louisa stuck her foot in. Piper reopened it. "What's wrong, Lou? Missing Leo?" Louisa saw the knife in Piper's hand.

"Yo, ya get lottery numbers on that?"

"Um, no." Piper motioned with her head for Louisa to come in. She returned to her seat on the bed, Louisa sitting at her feet, cross-legged.

"What's wrong?" Louisa asked, examining the far wall to her left. Nothing interesting was on that wall, but Louisa watched it all the same. Piper didn't answer immediately, so she repeated the question.

"I'm not sure."

"Helpful."

"I'll… try and explain later, when the others are back." Piper sighed. Louisa nodded. "Hey, Lou? Can I ask you something?"

"I always hear that question."

"It's because you don't lie."

"Aw, sweet ya've got so much faith in me, Pipes. Fire away."

"Jason and Reyna?"

"Yeah?"

"Were they, like, ever a thing? A _thing_?" She clarified at Louisa's blank look. "You know, like… dating?"

"Oooh, no." Louisa scratched under her nose. "Mm… no." She shook her head. "It generally goes praetors get all lovey-dovey, but I don't think Jason saw Reyna that way 'n' Rey-Rey was too busy dealin' with me."

"Dealing with you? What did you do?"

"Tried to kill Octavian."

"You seem to try that a lot."

"If he breathes in the same country as me, I'm allowed to kill him. 'Cept, Reyna thinks that's bad or somethin', I dunno. Keeps stoppin' me."

"If… if Reyna _wasn't_ busy sorting you out, do you think she did or does like Jason?"

"Nah."

"Why?"

"Just nah."

"Oooh, you're hiding something." Piper grinned, sitting up and curling her legs beneath her.

"Nose out, not my place."

"But it's your place to call her _Rey-Rey_?"

"Obviously."

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

"Fuck off, Piper." Louisa pushed her away lightly, shaking her head. She was smiling though. Piper made to say more when there was a clatter on the deck. Louisa got up, pulled the door open. Leo and Hazel appeared, wrestling a large sheet of celestial bronze between them. Piper stood at Louisa's shoulder.

"Gods of Olympus," she stared at Leo, "what happened to _you_?" Leo managed a cheeky grin. His hair was oiled back, he wore welding goggles on his head, a lipstick mark on his cheek. _Team Leo_ had been written across his chest, he had fake tattoos on his arms, one read _bad boy_, one said _2 hot 2 handle_ and another _hot stuff_.

"Long story." He laughed. Louisa took a hold of his wrist, closer examining the penmanship on his arms. "We got the celestial bronze though!"

"We can see that." Louisa shook her head. "Hazel, you OK?" Hazel nodded, wiping dirt from her hands. "Ya will get used ta Leo, he's a prat about… ninety-nine percent of the time." She picked at his 'hot stuff' shirt and tutted. "Go 'n' do repairs, Leo." He grinned, bustling off with the metal. Hazel hovered in the doorway.

"Team Leo?" Piper prompted, trying not to laugh.

"We met Narcissus. And Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

"Oh, I miss all the fun." Jason squeezed past Hazel and Louisa. Piper smiled at him, instantly checking his head. "I'm fine, Piper, honest. I saw Leo and thought I'd come down and get your… _opinion_ on _that_."

"I don't even know, he's such an idiot." Piper shook her head. There was _THUMP_ overhead. Seconds later, Percy ran by holding a steaming, five-gallon plastic bucket of something _horrendously_ stinky. Black sticky stuff clung to his shirt. Louisa cackled loudly. Annabeth and Frank appeared, the hallway suddenly jam-packed with demigods. Annabeth had some of the black stuff in her hair and it was also smeared on Frank's face. "Roofing tar?" Piper guessed, holding her nose.

"Ran into some tar monsters, actually." Annabeth said. She looked at Hazel. "Where's Leo?"

"Engine room." Hazel pointed. The ship listed to port. They heard Percy swearing.

"What was _that_?" Jason asked warily.

"Um…" Hazel gave a smile, somewhat embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like… all of them." Louisa rolled her eyes.

"I'm on it." She wiggled her way through the others and they heard her shouting moments later. Percy came back.

"Leo said something about angry lake nymphs." He tipped his head to one side. "Is that why Lou's shouting?"

"Yep." Annabeth nodded, hands on hips.

"Cool. I'll go help her." He kissed Annabeth's cheek on his way past and ventured after his sister.

"Frank, come with me, we'll go help Leo." Annabeth motioned for him to follow. The ship rocked again and Hazel groaned, hands over her mouth.

"Excuse me." She mumbled, disappearing. Her cabin door swung shut moments later. Piper sat on her bed. Jason sat next to her. They left the door open, listening to the racket from the engine room. Both twins and Coach Hedge were shouting. Festus was complaining, the ship creaked and groaned.

"Well, I feel helpful." Piper sighed. Her knife glinted on her pillow. She picked it up with an angry sigh and sheathed it.

"You can go and yell at some nymphs too, if you want."

"I think I might."

* * *

Louisa knocked on Hazel's cabin a little while later, her thumps echoing down the corridor. Hazel yanked the door open, disbelief and irritation wrought over her face. Louisa laughed.

"I have a knockin' style."

"No kidding!"

"Just came ta check how ya were. Feelin' any better?"

"A little."

"We'll be havin' dinner in a bit, gonna get everyone up ta speed." She cocked her head. "What'd ya think 'bout ya trip with Leo then?"

"He's… a little strange." Hazel wrinkled her nose. Louisa patted her shoulder, began to speak. Hazel motioned for her to come in, something in her eyes cutting Louisa off. Hazel shut the door behind Louisa, hands shaking. "Nico… Nico always said that… if I needed help and he wasn't a-around…" Her voice trembled. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, turning away slightly. "Well, he said I… he said that you were trustworthy."

"Ain't that sweet of him? We'll find the little shit, I promise." Louisa squeezed the younger girl's shoulder. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"I… can I ask you something?" Louisa nodded. "How well do you know Leo?"

"Uh, I was… practically with him twenty-four-seven while buildin' the Argo. He's trustworthy too, just a tad more ADHD than the rest of us." Hazel bit her lip, looking down at her shoes. "Is this about that Sammy thing?" A nod. "Who's Sammy, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

"Um…" Hazel glanced around. "Don't say anything to Frank. Please. He worries enough as it is." Louisa nodded. Hazel took a breath, forcing the tension from her shoulders. She began to explain slowly, from their school years, her thirteenth birthday, what Gaea had tried to bribe her with when she and Percy were in the bog.

"Wait, ya'll were in a bog?" Louisa's eyes widened.

"Yes, we… Percy didn't realise, he walked out and just went under. I went in after him, holding onto Frank's bow." Louisa swore colourfully in Greek, a hand at her throat. "Are _you_ alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Carry on."

"Well, the thing is… Sammy looks _exactly_ like Leo." Louisa blinked.

"How _exactly_?"

"Twin-like exactly."

"Huh."

"Nico told me you'd been through a lot over the years. Have you ever come across something like this?"

"No. Not exactly. Magic was involved. 'N' it didn't… begin in the forties either." She hunched her shoulders. "Worst case scenario, an amnesiac time traveller."

"_Worst_? I think we've had enough amnesiacs for the time being, we don't need time travellers too." She paused. "Time travel… isn't a thing, is it?"

"Not that I know of. Did ya talk ta Leo 'bout any of this?" Hazel tipped her head side to side. "Maybe ya should, ya could figure somethin' out." Hazel didn't seem to like that idea, pursing her lips. "I'll try 'n' do some diggin', see what I can find. In the meantime, head up ta dinner, I need ta go 'n' make sure Leo's not built himself into the engine or some shit. Ya need anythin', just shout."

"Thank you." Hazel smiled. "You swear a lot."

"Yeah, I get told that a lot."


	4. Chapter 4

Their meeting around the dining table was… tense, to say the least. Maybe it was the first time they were all in the same place without some drama going on, maybe it was the finality of the quest actually being under way. Maybe it was because Percy and Jason tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table and had a macho-stare down. Louisa thought it was hilarious, the only one unaffected by the tension in the room. The boys relented the chair to Annabeth.

Leo and Hazel recounted their trip to the lake, Leo with much gusto when it came to showing off his '2 hot 2 handle'-ness. "Narcissus ain't got nothing on me." He declared boldly, flexing. Custard splattered on his cheek, Louisa snorting with laughter, lowering her spoon.

"Did you get the repairs done then?" Annabeth asked. Leo cleaned his face with a napkin from Hazel before answering.

"I've done enough to get us out of the lake. But we'll need to put down for some serious repairs before crossing the Atlantic. Bro, why's it blue?" Percy frowned up at him, guarding his pie with his arm. Crust, filling, cream- all blue.

"He's a freak." Louisa shrugged. Percy ignored her.

"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter, ow." He jolted. Louisa smirked, kicking him under the table again. Percy sighed, kicked her back. Annabeth cleared her throat and they stopped. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

"I can go back 'n' shoot 'em."

"No," Piper shook her head, "but is it worth going back to talk? I feel like I didn't try hard enough-" Jason covered her hand with his.

"It's not your fault, Piper. Or Leo's. Gaia did this, she's trying to drive the two camps apart even more."

"Besides," Annabeth said, "we can't go back without proof."

"Reyna might listen." Hazel offered. Her plate was studded with rubies around the edges, she was picking at her lip nervously. "Octavian won't though."

"I can sort him." Louisa grinned, only to be immediately shut down by all of them. She did a double-take, having the nerve to actually look a little hurt. "That was harsh, guys. Ya didn't even consider it."

"We have to keep going," Piper nodded, "not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."

"Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies," Hazel's voice wobbled, "and Rome is destroyed."

"_Rome_ Rome?" Jason asked. "Not New Rome?"

"Don't worry 'bout Nico, I'll kill the bastard myself."

"That's… that's not reassuring." Hazel mumbled. Louisa just grinned.

"Why six days?" Percy sighed. "How are they going to destroy Rome?" No-one offered any answers. Piper shifted in her seat, worry pulling the corners of her mouth down.

"There's more," she announced quietly, "I've been seeing visions in my knife and… I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

"Ella mentioned twins in her prophecy." Annabeth remembered. Percy and Louisa exchanged looks. "I didn't think it would be you two, it seemed too obvious." Percy frowned.

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," he said, "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome."

"That's gotta be you, Blondie?" Louisa continued. Annabeth's expression tightened. Percy nodded.

"Juno told me… well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you'd do it. But I know she's wrong."

"Reyna was going to tell me something before the ship fired." Annabeth said stiffly. "An old legend among Roman praetors- something to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."

"'N' nothin' ta do with the fact we're all assholes?" Louisa hunched her shoulders. "Suit yaself." She said when some of them started shaking their heads.

"Nemesis said something like that too." Leo said. "Not… not about everyone being assholes, but about the Athena thing."

"An old wrong finally avenged." Hazel nodded.

"Kill Octavian." Louisa said instantly.

"Not yet." Percy said absent-mindedly, unknowing of the excited spark bursting into life in his sister's eyes. "I was only praetor for two hours- shut up, Lou. Jason, you know anything about this?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. I'll give it some thought." Jason looked down at his plate. Percy narrowed his eyes at him.

"You're not _sure_?" Silence.

"What about the other lines?" Hazel said quickly. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath. Who holds the key to endless death." Louisa confirmed that she and Percy didn't have an angel to snuff out, gaining a few eye rolls for that. Frank picked up the next lines.

"Giant's bane stands gold and pale. And won through pain from a woven jail."

"Giant's bane sounds good, right?" Leo half-smiled. "If we can find it, maybe it'll help the gods get their personalities back in check." Percy nodded.

"Can't kill giants without gods."

"But," Jason looked to Frank and Hazel, "what about Alcyoneus?"

"He was a special case," Hazel replied, "he couldn't be killed in the territory he was reborn in."

"If we could drag giants from Alaska to Canada to kill them," Frank made a face, "it would be great and we'd do it. But…" He shook his head. Leo looked around the table, pouting in thought.

"Well," he said, pushing away from the table, "first things first, we'll have to put down in the morning for repairs."

"Close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

"Well…" Piper winced. "How do you guys feel about Kansas?"

* * *

Louisa was talking to Hazel when Leo came back from his potty break. Hazel wiped at her eyes, but she was smiling and laughing, nodding to whatever Louisa had said.

"Thank you." Hazel gripped Louisa's hand gratefully. She left as Leo approached. He grinned as she passed; Louisa got the impression she rolled her eyes at him.

"I think she's warming up to me." Leo decided, standing next to her at the helm.

"I'm sure she is, 'hot stuff'."

"Aw, you big flirt." Leo smiled bashfully. Louisa folded her arms over her chest and raised a brow. "Right, right. Ship to fix. I'm on it." He bustled off, humming to himself and rummaging in his toolbelt. Louisa sighed, called him an idiot under her breath. "Did you get any of your repairs done?"

"I fixed the foresail. Gave everythin' a good clean. Festus kept clickin' at me, but I ain't got a clue what he's on about." Leo came back and rapped his knuckles on the control panel, picking up a Wii remote. Festus whirred to answer, twisting round to look at them. Leo listened to him for a moment.

"He says you got salt water up his nose."

"My apologies." Louisa moved to his side. His earlier mirth had wilted a little, his brow furrowed slightly as he listened to damage reports from Festus. He picked at his lip, giving the Wii remote a little shake. "You alright, Valdez?"

"Mm? Oh, I'm fine. Work to do."

"Ya ain't told me about the 'hot stuff' crap. Not all of it." She added as he began to protest.

"Oh." The corner of his mouth tipped up half-heartedly, his fingertips hovered on his cheek. "Well, as you know, we met a couple of… uh… _fun _people." Louisa looked at him expectantly. Leo sighed. "You've met lots of fun people- ever run into Nemesis?"

"Done a couple of errands for her, yeah. Always looks like Denise."

"Who?"

"Mom's _mom_." Louisa scowled. Leo decided not to press.

"She was my Aunt Rosa." He said quietly, setting the Wii remote down. Louisa knew about her. Leo had told her everything. He kept his voice level, quiet. He never mentioned the fortune cookie in his belt. "She called me the seventh wheel."

"Rude." Louisa muttered. Something in Leo's expression softened hers and she squeezed his hand. "I know ya said about Jason 'n' Piper doin' their gross coupley thing, but ya ain't a seventh wheel, Valdez."

"Well, I don't think I'm anyone's favourite after bombing New Rome."

"We've been over this- that weren't you." He shook his head. "If ya'd taken out Octavian, I'd've been well happy. I'm gonna say it again- ya said ya didn't do it 'n' I know ya didn't. 'N' again, I know how hard ya worked on this ship, you know how important it was for us ta get to the Romans. Why would ya jeopardize both?" Leo stayed quiet. "For the record, I hate repeatin' myself, but ya don't seem ta listen otherwise." He gave a soft laugh, "We'll figure out what happened, Valdez, I know we will. Don't stress it."

"I'm stressing it."

"Don't."

"Wow, all my worries have melted away." He deadpanned. She slugged him in the arm. His hand tingled from the absence of her touch. "We also met Narcissus."

"Ugh."

"Right? _So_ not prettier than me." She hummed bemusedly, folding her arms on the edge of the console and leaning on them. Leo cast her a disappointed look. "He had all these nymphs around him. Even Hazel got a bit flustered."

"So, ya 'hot stuffed' ya way through it?"

"See, you can make fun of it all you like, we got the bronze." He stuck his tongue out. She replied similarly, a cheeky twinkle in her eyes. Leo delved a hand in his belt, trying to pull his workload into his mind instead of the Narcissus encounter. He found his mouth ran away with him though. "Really puts into perspective how gremlin-like I am, compared to someone like Narcissus."

"The dude that got himself cursed for bein' a dick 'n' then drowned tryin' to fuck his reflection?"

"I… don't think that's _quite_ what happened, but go off." Leo shrugged. Louisa pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes screwed shut.

"Does it matter? Like, _really_?" Leo pouted. "I'd take brains 'n' humour over looks any day."

"Ah, so there's hope for us yet."

"Fuck off." She glowered. "Don't be pretty. Be loud, be clever, be funny, be kind, considerate, hard-workin', loyal, curious, _literally anythin' _other than Narcissus. _Don't_," she jabbed him in the ribs, "piss me off."

"Duly noted." He squirmed. She gave a slight shake of her head. "I'm gonna tinker for a bit, so much to do. Plus, don't want your favourite augur sneaking up on us."

"I could use the target practise." She mused.

"I've seen you shoot. You don't need practise."

"Practise never hurts."

"I'm sure it'll hurt Octavian."

"Ooh, it _definitely_ will hurt Octavian." Her eyes glimmered, wicked and sharp, a twisted smile reminding Leo, once again, _not to piss her off_. "Get ta work, Valdez. I'm gonna check on the others, but let me know if ya need help or have the urge to blow things up again." Her smile turned cheeky, her elbow bumped him and she turned to leave.

"Lou?" Leo called, not looking away from the console. Her footsteps stopped, near the door.

"Yeah?" She prompted when he remained quiet. Leo swallowed nervously, glancing over his shoulder. He could see her in the corner of his eye.

"Thanks." He croaked. Echo's shifting form popped into his mind and he closed his eyes. The phantom remains of her kiss warmed his cheek again. He didn't want to tell Louisa about her.

"No probs, Valdez." She lingered for a moment, maybe expecting something else. Leo kept his head down. Eventually, she left. He could hear her humming to herself, growing fainter.

_I'd take brains 'n' humour over looks any day._


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Coach decided to spend the first hour after curfew on night duty. He stomped up and down the passageway, yelling "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out and I'll smack you back to Long Island!" He hit the doors with his bat whenever he heard a noise, particularly Louisa's every time she swore. Some of that swearing was directed at Coach, but most of it at her brother, who was apparently trying to stop her from shoving Coach's bat somewhere interesting. "Don't make me come in there!" Coach warned, thumping their door. There was a clatter, the door hit the wall. Coach bleated, clomping back down the passageway a few feet.

"Long Island, huh?" Louisa's voice mused. "I'm just gonna go for England."

"Give me my bat back."

"Nah, it's mine now. Enjoy crumpets, asshole." Piper got the giggles. She was sure she could hear laughter from some of the other cabins. Coach was yelling, Louisa was swearing, their voices chased each other all over the ship. It was Buford that came to the rescue, blowing steam at Louisa. Leo had to rush out to save his table.

"Don't kill Buford!"

"I ain't gonna!"

"Come at me, cupcake, come on then!"

"No, go to bed! Gods above, woman, what are you _made_ of? _Steel_?"

"Spite!" Came Louisa's reply, bringing more laughter from the cabins below. "Let me at least break his legs, _please_. Just a little bit!"

"No! No leg breaking!"

"I can take it, Valdez. Let's do this, princess!"

"Square up, goat-man!"

Suffice to say, Coach didn't find it necessary to be on night duty after that.

* * *

They set down in a field of sunflowers in the morning. Hundreds and thousands of bright, yellow faces swaying in a gentle breeze, enjoying the sunlight. Louisa, upon seeing the fields of yellow, laughed and dashed from the helm, leaning over the railings port side. She tipped so far forward, Piper instinctively grabbed the back of her shirt. Louisa looked round, beaming.

"I love sunflowers!"

"Really?" Piper was a little taken aback by that. Louisa must have noticed, her smile dimming slightly in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing." Piper shook her head, suppressing a smile. Louisa shrugged and looked back at the flowers. Movement behind Piper. Leo was pulling scraps from his belt, smiling sweetly when Piper looked at him quizzically. Within seconds, he had put together a long, thin grabbing arm of sorts. It stretched down and cut through the stalks of half a dozen sunflowers, lifting them back up to Leo's waiting hand. He slid his new tool in his belt. Piper stepped aside and he tapped Louisa on the shoulder.

"For you." He smiled, presenting the flowers to her. Louisa straightened, Piper let go of her shirt. She gaped at the flowers, at him, and back again. Seconds later, a broad grin materialised and she took the bunch in both hands. Over their heads, Piper saw Percy frozen on the top step. His gaze flicked from his sister to Leo, narrowing his eyes as he put two and two together. Piper pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Leo was now on Percy's radar.

Leo noticed him and grinned. "We shouldn't be far. Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could." He looked at Piper. "What do you think you'll find at the mile marker, Piper?" Jason and Annabeth playfully shoved Percy in the back, steering him away from the top of the staircase. Frank and Hazel weren't far behind them, munching on toast.

"I saw a man in purple," Piper said, "he had a goblet and vines on his hat."

"That sounds like Bacchus." Jason remarked. Percy finally looked away from Leo, frowning at Jason instead.

"Dionysus." He muttered. "If we've come to Kansas to see _Mr. D-_"

"Bacchus isn't so bad." Jason assured. "I don't like his followers much though, we-" He was cut off by a sneeze that made several of them jump. Piper looked round, seeing Louisa wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"Are… are you allergic to sunflowers?" She half-laughed. Louisa sniffed, squinting at them.

"Hayfever." She wrinkled her nose. "Worth it." She sneezed again. Leo seemed torn between laughing and taking the flowers back. "You guys have fun," Louisa waved at them dismissively, "I'm gonna help Leo with repairs."

"Uh, yeah," Leo turned to Annabeth, "I, uh, could really use your help too. You're the only other one who sort of understands engineering." Annabeth nodded, smiling apologetically at Percy's disgruntled expression.

"He's right. Sorry, Seaweed Brain, I should stay and help."

"I'll come back to you." He kissed her cheek. "Promise." Louisa mimed barfing. Percy shook his head at her, smiling disbelievingly. "Grow up." She opened her mouth to respond, but only a sneeze came out.

"I'm gonna go put these in water." She sniffled. "Bye, losers." She wiggled through them and started down the stairs.

"Get an antihistamine!" Annabeth called after her. "Leo, you're killing Lou with _flowers_."

"In my defence, I didn't know she had hayfever. She was fine at Camp." He added when Percy's frown returned.

"No more flowers." He ordered. Annabeth hit his arm, tutting and shaking her head. Frank moved to the railing, surveying their surroundings.

"I think I'll turn into a crow, do some scouting."

"Dude," Leo raised his brows at him, "you've got the option turn into a dragon! Dragon up!"

"Do you know how tiring that is?"

"I know how disappointing it is that you didn't get that reference."

"That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift." Leo gave him a blank look and he sighed. "Because it's hard and you'd hurt yourself."

"Oh. I wouldn't know. I don't lift." Leo jiggled his arms, waving them about like the bones had disappeared from them. Frank squinted at him. Leo just grinned.

Hazel looked down at the fields, glancing sidelong at Percy.

"Watch for karpoi." She warned.

"Karpoi?" Piper repeated.

"Grain spirits." Hazel said grimly. Confusion crossed Piper's features, but she didn't question how ferocious grain spirits could really be. She laughed when Percy called them little bastards. Annabeth flicked his arm.

"You swear more when Lou's around."

"Sorry." Percy hunched his shoulders. "Sorry, Hazel." He covered her ears, too little too late, but it made her smile. He looked at Piper. "So me, you and…?"

"Me." Jason stepped forward. Downstairs, they heard Louisa sneeze and swear some more. Percy rolled his eyes.

"This is going to be fun."

* * *

Annabeth had to help Louisa find the medicine for her hayfever, trying and failing not to laugh every time she sneezed. Her eyes were red and her nose was running, but she'd be damned before admitting she was ill, even in the slightest.

"So," Annabeth asked over her shoulder, rummaging in the medicine cupboard, "why's Leo giving you flowers, _mmm_?"

"To kill me, I guess. Ugh, d'ya know how many people would _love_ ta know they can kill me with _flowers_?"

"I don't think flowers can _actually_ kill you."

"How'd you know?" Louisa countered defensively, sniffing loudly. The door opened and Hazel stuck her head in.

"You OK?" She asked.

"No," Louisa sniffed again, "this sucks."

"Hazel," Annabeth called, her tone bemused, "don't you think it's _sweet_," she shot Louisa a sidelong glance, "that Leo's giving Lou flowers?" Hazel slipped into the room, looking from one to the other. She cottoned as Louisa's brow furrowed, lost.

"It is _rather_ adorable." Hazel agreed, hunching her shoulders and smiling sheepishly. Louisa balked, as if there was nothing worse than being _adorable_.

"It ain't adorable! I'm dyin' here!"

"You're not _dying_." Annabeth laughed. Louisa spluttered protests. "OK, so where are they?"

"What?"

"The sunflowers."

"By my bed."

"So… the flowers that are supposedly _killing _you are _in your room_ and by your _bed_?" Annabeth stared at her imploringly. Louisa still wasn't following. "You'll be sneezing all night." Annabeth continued. Louisa gave the slightest shake of her head and Annabeth found herself laughing again, softly, almost in amazement.

"I don't get it." Louisa retorted. "I like sunflowers, he grabbed some for me, I sneezed a few hundred times 'n' now they're in my room so they don't get ruined elsewhere." She sneezed into a tissue. Annabeth just smiled. _As oblivious as her brother_, she thought. She found the antihistamines, bouncing the box off Louisa's head.

"Come on, Hazel. There must be intelligent life on this ship _somewhere_."

"I resent that remark." Louisa grumbled. Annabeth waved at her, leading Hazel out. Louisa huffed, waited for their footsteps to fade away, before getting a drink and heading to her cabin. All she could find to stand the sunflowers in was a bucket, lightly tying the stalks together with a bit of string so they didn't fall all over the place. She swallowed an allergy tablet, gulping it down with cold water. Why did Annabeth think the flowers were so funny?

She was half-dozing on her bunk later on, sniffing every so often. Her eyes weren't as itchy, the sneezes few and far between. She was bored, but couldn't decide what she wanted to do. Leo and Annabeth were still repairing things. Hazel was reading in her room. She _could_ go onto the deck and do some training, but she had found a comfy spot on her bunk and couldn't be bothered to move.

Just as her eyes closed for a quick nap, someone knocked her door. Louisa groaned into her pillow. "Yeah." She called, voice muffled slightly. A beam of light slanted on the floor.

"You feeling any better?" Frank asked. Louisa lifted her head slightly, squinting back at him.

"Ick."

"Oh. Um… can I get you anything?"

"Nah, ta, I'm good. You OK?" He dithered on the other side of her door, just his head in her room. He wouldn't look her in the eye, chewing his lip. "You wanna come in?" She asked, sensing another question coming her way. Frank hesitated. At her glower, he squeaked and slid in, pushing the door shut behind him. Louisa waved vaguely at the other end of her bed, his weight perched on the very edge a few seconds later. "What's up, dude?" She asked into her pillow.

"You know Leo quite well, right?" She nodded. "Is he… always like that?"

"Like what?" She asked, looking round when he didn't answer straight away.

"Like…" Frank flailed his hands, blushing when she laughed.

"Leo's deluded, but ya can trust him."

"But I… I don't even know you, how can I trust you to trust him?"

"Fair. Harsh, but fair." She let her head fall back onto the pillow. "Wing it." She advised. "If it goes wrong, just blame me. I'll add it ta my list of fix-its."

"OK," he eventually said, "yeah, OK."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"A'ight. Hey, you any good with that bow ya had?" She rolled onto her back and sat up, twisting anti-clockwise on her watch. Her bow sprung into her hand, making Frank jump. "I challenge you." She declared with a wicked grin.

They stood on the deck, Louisa let him take from her quiver as it magically refilled, unlike his. Hazel summoned apples from the mess hall plates. She threw them at random, in all directions, looking pleased to have something to do. Leo ran back and forth a few times, complaining more and more at the amount of apple pieces messing up his ship. Louisa pretended to shoot him, her bow empty. Leo, for his part, mimed taking an arrow to the heart, slumping against the wall and 'dying', dramatic last breaths and words of dreams never to be told, gone forever.

"Shut up, Valdez." Louisa laughed, Hazel and Frank snickering behind her. "If it bothers ya that much, I'll make some pie from 'em later."

"Unhygienic." Frank remarked.

"Wait, you can _do_ that?" Leo asked at the same time. "I thought you were banned from, like, all kitchens, everywhere, for all time?"

"Yeah?"

"So _how_ can you do apple pie?"

"It's one thing I'm allowed ta do."

"What's that?" Annabeth asked, coming up the steps, examining blueprints of the ship.

"Apple pie." Louisa replied simply. Annabeth froze. Slowly, she tipped her head up, scrutinising Louisa. "What? I can!"

"But Jessica said you set fire to the kitchen making a _sandwich_." The other three fixed stunned looks on Louisa, chorusing "_How_?!" Louisa glared round at them all.

"Pie for me then. Fuck ya'll." She loaded her bow and aimed up. Hazel scrambled to throw some apples. Annabeth went over to Leo, nudging him with her foot.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"Lou shot me."

"Uh-huh." Annabeth motioned for him to get up. Leo bounced to his feet, grinning.

"Hey, is, uh…" He glanced nervously at Louisa, hands fidgeting. "Is Percy mad at me about the sunflower thing?"

"He's just doing his protective big brother thing." Annabeth shrugged a shoulder. "It's kind of his thing, but not just Lou and Tyson- their half-brother." She clarified. "Percy has an over-working big brother instinct and… yeah, gets a _little_ overprotective, much to Lou's annoyance." She tipped her head to one side, smirking at him. "Why? _Should_ Percy be mad you're giving his little sister flowers?" Her eyes glittered knowingly. Flames danced in Leo's hair as he flushed crimson. He spluttered with denial, looking anywhere but Annabeth. His words, though failing him anyway, cut off and he pointed. Annabeth turned. Frank was holding Louisa by the elbow. She had dropped her bow, hand on her head.

"Lou?" Annabeth took a step towards them, heart sinking when Louisa looked up, pale.

"Oh no." Louisa said. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. Frank yelped, catching her and scooping her up.

"Get her to the infirmary." Annabeth instructed. "Leo, get back to the repairs. Hazel, with me." She started off around the ship, heart thudding. Hazel half-ran to keep up with her. Annabeth glared at the surrounding fields, scanning the skies. _Where were they_?

Minutes ticked by. Hazel grabbed Annabeth's arm and pointed in the other direction.

"There!" She said. A dark shape glided towards them, a rather lumpy shape with large wings. It landed on the deck.

"Blackjack?" Annabeth quizzed. The Pegasus whickered, tossing his mane and tottering nervously on the spot. Piper dismounted. Percy and Jason were slung over Blackjack's back, unconscious. "What happened?" Annabeth demanded. "Why does Percy look and smell like he's been run over with an electric horse?"

"Because he kind of has." Piper bit her thumb. Hazel ran to call for Frank. With his help, they got the boys to the infirmary. Coach made an appearance then, pacing back and forth irritably.

"How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

"Hey, Coach," Leo nudged him, "there's loads of apples on deck. Knock yourself out."

"Don't mind if I do." Coach nodded once. "But first, let's sort these boys out." He set to work. Within minutes, he was applying a sickly sweet smelling paste to the boys' head injuries. Piper had given them a little nectar. Annabeth had to stop her from giving some to Louisa.

"She's not injured. She's just picking up on Percy's injury."

"Oh. Oh, OK."

They woke up a little while later. Louisa groaned, cradling her head. Her brother, on the cot next to her, got a kick in the leg.

"Fucker." She chided. "What'd ya do that for?"

"Do what?" Percy asked, squinting round. "How'd we get here? Weren't we-?"

"Ow." Jason winced, sitting up slowly. Coach asked if they were alright, getting a mixture of disgruntled replies.

"Cool," he said, "there's apples on deck, call me if you need me." And he was gone. Piper looked to Leo.

"Can you set course for Atlanta?"

"Sure, but-"

"In a minute." She said. "I'll explain in a minute." Leo considered her for a moment, then nodded. He followed after Hedge.

"Knocked out twice in as many days," Jason sighed, "I feel fantastic."

"I don't." Louisa muttered.

"You weren't even there!" Percy protested.

"Don't have ta be with you runnin' around 'n' causin' shit, fucktard."

"Oh, bite me."

"I'll gnaw ya fuckin' arm off." They glared at each other for a moment. Seconds later, they were laughing, much to the bafflement of everyone else present.


	6. Chapter 6

Percy and Louisa were the only ones eating around the mess hall table. They had a pizza each, but that didn't stop them from trying to steal slices from the other. Louisa reached under his arm to get a slice, he dropped his elbow and slid his plate away.

"Twins," Annabeth warned, "stop it."

"Nah." Louisa bit into a slice of her own pizza, wiggling her arm free. "Where's Coach?"

"He's steering," Leo said, "I told him not to steer us into any military bases 'for fun', but we'll see how that pans out."

"Does sound fun." Louisa mused.

"No, it doesn't." Piper shook her head. "We've got a problem. And not your brother, Louisa, stop trying to break his arm." Piper sighed, looking at Annabeth. The blonde just raised her brows- _you'll get used to it. _"Bacchus told us," Piper began, "that the twin giants are called Ephialtes and Otis. He told us to seek out salt water in Atlanta and find Gaia's son, Phorcys. He should be able to give us insight on these twins." She toyed with her plate. "While… we were in the field, Gaia spoke to us." She hesitated. Annabeth nodded encouragingly. Piper let herself take a moment to look at the twins opposite her. Both of them had frozen midway through a pizza slice. She was quietly amused to see the slices were from the other's plate.

"Piper?"

"Sorry. Gaia told us she needed the blood of two of us. One boy, one girl. She… she wanted me to choose, between Percy and Jason. Choose which one… which one to die." Hazel, next to Piper, put a hand on her arm and smiled encouragingly. Piper took a breath. "Because I refused to choose, something happened to the boys. Their eyes went gold. They were talking, but… it wasn't their voices? And then…" She faced Jason. "You two started fighting. It was… you two could have _killed_ each other."

Percy and Jason glanced at each other sidelong, challengingly. Louisa rolled her eyes.

"Shut the fuck up," she told them, "I'll kill ya both. Carry on, Pipes."

"You were being controlled by eidolons." Piper said quietly. Hazel slapped the table. Frank startled, dropping his burrito.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "That's what happened to Leo!" Leo stared at her.

"So… I really didn't start World War Three? I was just possessed by an evil spirit." He huffed, shifting in his seat. "Such a relief!"

"Yeah, but the Romans ain't gonna buy that."

"Maybe we could tell Reyna." Jason suggested.

"But it's Octavian we have to worry about." Piper reminded him. "I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd; I don't know if Reyna can stop him."

"Told ya ta let me kill him."

"No murder, Lou."

"Ugh, ya'll borin'."

"We saw some Roman eagles," Frank said, under the table trying to clean up his burrito, "they were a long way off, but closing fast. Looks like Octavian is on the warpath."

"This is _exactly_ what he wants," Hazel grumbled, "an opportunity to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles… it's like they could smell us."

"They can." Jason nodded. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by smell even better than monsters can." He glanced around. "We might be somewhat concealed on this ship, but not completely. Not from them." Leo plonked his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands.

"I should've installed a chicken nugget scented smoke screen."

"What's… a chicken nugget?"

"Oh my gods, I blanked for a sec. I forgot you've missed the last, like, seventy years." He grinned at this opportunity. "Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget-"

"Doesn't matter." Annabeth interrupted. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans."

"You're right." Jason agreed, miffed. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe. From the legion at least."

"Why won't they follow us?" Piper asked.

"Ancient lands. Much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."

"So," Frank reappeared, "if we go there…"

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors." Jason nodded grimly. He turned in surprise when Louisa laughed.

"Join the club."

"Lou, this is serious."

"So I am."

"There is _so much_ I don't know about you." Percy sulked. Louisa grinned, pinching his cheek.

"Keep it that way, dipshit." She said, laughing again when he fumed.

"If we get across the Atlantic," Jason carried on slowly, "the legion will give up on chasing us. They'll assume we'll die in the Mediterranean- the Mare Nostrum." Percy pointed a pizza slice at Jason.

"You, sir, are a ray of sunshine." Jason stared at him. Percy shrugged. "Anyway, Mr D- _Bacchus_… ugh, do I have to call him Mr _B_ now? Whatever. He mentioned these other twins in Ella's prophecy. Otis and, uh…" He looked to Piper. "Something beginning with an F?"

"Ephialtes." Jason replied before Piper could.

"I remember a story about twin giants." Annabeth chipped in. "They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains." Frank choked.

"That's great." He smiled weakly. "Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed them with a pinecone on a stick?"

"Something like that." Piper nodded. "He said he couldn't help us anyway. We don't have anything he wants; he said we couldn't give a tribute to his standards."

"I offer an augur." Louisa said quickly.

"You _really_ don't like him, do you?"

"What makes ya say that?" Louisa smiled sweetly. A look from Annabeth reminded Piper just to ignore her.

"Gaia wants two of us."

"Mm." Leo wrinkled his nose. "Khione wanted Jason. Said she wanted to spill his blood at the Wolf House, remember? Is demigod blood, like, magic or something?"

"Ooh, yes." Louisa's eyes widened, mouth tight. Leo bit his thumb. No-one asked her about it.

"Polybotes-" Percy started.

"Polly-Boats." Louisa corrected.

"What? No." Percy looked to Hazel. "Remember Polybotes?"

"Yes, you smashed him in the face with Terminus's head."

"I had a dream when we were flying to Alaska-"

"_Flyin_'?"

"No choice, I hated it. Anyway, Polybotes was talking to the gorgons and he said he wanted to take me prisoner. Not killed. He said… he said 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!" He finished dramatically.

"Pfft," Louisa shoved pizza in her mouth, "wrong twin."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Not now, you two." Annabeth chided.

"Do… do you think the giants would use our blood… the blood of two of us…?" Piper trailed off.

"Don't know." Percy said. "But until we figure it out-"

"Don't get fuckin' captured." Louisa finished.

"Sounds reasonable." Jason muttered.

"But how do we figure it all out?" Hazel worried. "The Mark of Athena, the twins- not you two- Ella's prophecy… how does it all fit together?" Annabeth frowned at Piper.

"You told Leo to set course for Atlanta, right?" Piper nodded.

"Bacchus said to find… um, what was his name?"

"Phorcys." Percy said, surprising both his girlfriend and his sister.

"You know him?" Annabeth asked.

"Not at first. But Bacchus mentioned salt water and it rang a bell."

"Ooh," Louisa caught on, "Phorcys is, like, mega old, before Dad."

"Yeah," Percy agreed, "never met him." He raised a brow at his sister. She shook her head. "Wonder why he's in Atlanta." Leo snorted.

"What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. We should be at Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something _else_ goes wrong."

"Don't even say that." Annabeth said firmly. Leo held his hands up and she sighed. "It's late, we should sleep."

"Wait." Piper said. Everyone looked to her. "There's one more thing. The eidolons- they're still here." Louisa leant away from her brother. Percy scowled at her. "Eidolons," Piper called, "show yourself, raise your hands." Her charmspeak washed over them, warm yet daunting.

Leo laughed disbelievingly.

"That's not going to work." He froze. His hand was up. When he looked back at Piper, his eyes were glowing gold. Percy's and Jason's too. Louisa stood up, hands on her head, eyes screwed shut.

"Ow ow ow." She muttered, leaning forward in discomfort.

"You OK?" Annabeth asked, reaching for her.

"Peachy." She replied through gritted teeth.

"She's not possessed too, is she?" Frank asked. He had jumped away from the table, his back against the wall.

"No." Louisa groaned. "I just pick up on Percy's stupid 'n' it _hurts_."

"Can you cure them?" Annabeth asked Piper. Piper focused on Leo, the least unnerving of the three.

"Are there more of you on the ship?"

"No." Leo's voice was low and hollow. "The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best." He grinned coldly. "We will live again."

"Not here you won't." Piper said resolutely. "All three of you, listen carefully." Annabeth was helping Louisa sit back down. Golden-eyed boys stared at Piper, rapt. "You will leave these bodies." Piper commanded.

"No." Percy growled.

"We must live." Leo confirmed. Frank fumbled for his bow.

"Mars Almighty, that's creepy. Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!" Leo turned on him, smirking.

"You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment." Frank paled.

"I- I've faced down worse than you," he stammered, "if you want a fight-"

"Frank." Hazel held her hands up, placating. "Don't-" Jason drew his sword. Hazel pointed at it. He struggled as it grew heavier in his hand, the blade thunked on the table. "Listen to Piper." Hazel ordered. Percy snarled at her.

"Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead." Annabeth moved from his sister, hands out as if to restrain him. Hazel waved her away.

"Listen, eidolons," Hazel glared at them, "you do not belong here."

"Begone foul demon." Louisa defied weakly, arms still around her head. She leant forward, plonking her head on the table.

"You do not belong here," Hazel continued, "I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her." She looked at Piper and nodded. Piper smiled gratefully. She faced Jason, staring him straight in the eye.

"You will leave these bodies." She ordered.

"We will leave these bodies." Jason repeated absently.

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship and never possess any member of this crew." Leo and Percy hissed at her. "You _will_ promise on the River Styx." Piper insisted. There was a moment of tension. Then all three inclined their heads.

"We promise on the River Styx." They said in unison.

"You are dead." Piper told them.

"We are dead."

"Now leave." All three slumped forward. Percy face first into his pizza. Annabeth cried his name, rushing to his aid. Piper and Hazel caught Jason as he slid from his seat. Louisa looked up in time to catch Leo, but his weight and her headache threw them off balance and they landed in a heap with a _thump_. Leo groaned.

"Did it work?"

"It worked." Piper confirmed. "I don't think they'll be back."

"Does this mean I can stop getting head injuries now?" Jason grumbled.

"Don't count on it." Louisa said from somewhere over the table. Piper laughed, let herself relax.

"Come on, Sparky, let's go for some air." She helped Jason to his feet, leading him out. Louisa pushed herself up, helping Leo a second later.

"You OK?"

"I've been exorcised, this is awesome." He grinned, looking past her a second later. "Glad you've got your priorities straight." Louisa turned to see her brother eating the last of both their pizzas.

"Only you can eat face-pizza after an exorcism." Hazel smiled, shaking her head.

"_And_," Louisa stressed, "have the balls to steal _my_ pizza too!"

"Snooze you lose!" Percy grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

Louisa wasn't in her cabin that evening, she spent the night at the helm. Leo was still pottering about tinkering with this and that. Louisa just let him crack on with it, while she kept watch. A nagging feeling at the back of her mind irked her and nothing she thought of quietened it. Something to do with Percy, a bad dream maybe. But she had no urge to rush over there and check on him. So she didn't.

Festus creaked, seemed to be smiling. Leo stopped at her side long enough to translate- "He says you look grumpy."

"I am grumpy."

"Like, right now or just in general?"

"Did Festus say that or was it you?"

"Mm, hard to tell." He gave a cheeky grin and bustled off again. Louisa wasn't really sure what he was doing. He ran back and forth with hands full of tools and scraps and wires, muttering to himself and laughing at his own jokes every so often. Sometimes he was faffing about in the control panel, or in the walls, or just rocking back on forth on the soles of his feet as he fiddled with some small contraption only to take it apart moments later.

The nagging feeling died away. Percy was awake. The night sky seemed to envelope them, more stars than the city, the moon half-full. Leo popped up behind her, leaning over around her shoulder to correct their course two degrees.

"You suck at this." He remarked.

"Get Jason then, this is his territory."

"Nah, he and Piper were all mushy." He squished his cheeks between his fists, rambling off a second later. "So… how does your sailing thing work then?" He called, opening a section of the wall and sticking his head in. His voice echoed, ringing with a metallic effect Louisa found somewhat amusing. "Like, do you automatically know where you're going, what about the ship's calibration, do you know where you are at all times, are you a pirate, can you control the ship with your mind, ooh that'd be _so cool_!"

"I know where I am at all times 'n' I'd know how to get where we needed ta be if ya gave me the coordinates, I can tell latitude 'n' longitude, nautical speed, current speed, can sense if anythin's comin'-"

"Like sonar?"

"Yeah, a bit. I'm not a pirate, but I have met some 'n' yes, I can make the ropes 'n' sails 'n' stuff do what I want just by thinkin' it, it works better on older ships."

"Do you think Jason can do any of that if we're up in the air?"

"I dunno, ask Jason. I doubt he'll have any power over ships 'n' stuff, that's Poseidon's gig." Leo wriggled further into the wall, hitting at something. "You OK in there?"

"Dandy!" He called back. He kicked his legs and pushed himself back out, grinning. Grime coated his face and hands, he slid a mallet back into his belt. "OK, so, can you control _all_ water or just salt water?"

"Salt water is better. Water in general though."

"And if I chopped your arm off," he drew a hack saw from his belt, "would you be able to heal it back on?"

"Um, maybe? You ain't choppin' me arm off."

"Ugh, buzzkill." The hack saw went away.

"Why the sudden interest in my powers? I thought ya knew what I could do."

"I know you can swim, like Aquaman. And you said about going to the bottom of the ocean and breathing underwater and talking to fish and horses and stuff and I know the healing thing too, but I'd _love_ to see what extent that could go to-"

"Still not choppin' me arm off."

"Just checking. I figured you had some sailing skills, because you kept moaning that this," he flailed his arms, indicating the Argo II, "my wonderful creation, was too _techy_ for you."

"It is. Too many buttons 'n' ya won't let me mash 'em."

"For good reason, we're trying to save the world, not blow it up."

"Could destroy it before Gaia does, steal her thunder."

"Ooh, thunder! Forgot about that. So you've got Aquaman-swimming, immunity to the pressure of the ocean and ability to breathe underwater, you can talk to fish and horses, the healing thing, you can summon storms and hurricanes and… earthquakes?" She nodded. "And you're a sailing expert, more so on the water in a ship less _techy_."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Pretty much? _Is there more_?"

"No."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's rude."

"You wanna _saw my arm off_!"

"For science!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"What 'bout you then, fire-boy? What else ya got, besides hot air 'n' a magic belt?" She smirked. Leo pouted, putting his hand over his heart.

"That cut deep, Lou." He whined. "Real deep." She cooed mockingly, snickering when he fumed quietly. "I've gotten better at controlling my fire! I only burn my clothes _sometimes_."

"Sometimes?"

"Aw, you disappointed?" He smirked. "Missed your chance to see the full Valdez?" He flexed, puffing his chest out. Louisa pressed her lips together, watching him bemusedly. He turned his back to her, grinning over his shoulder and flexing some more. "Check out those guns!" He insisted. A playful shove to his back and she was laughing.

"Alright, 'hot stuff', don't hurt yaself."

"You're just jealous my muscles are better than yours." Leo stuck his tongue out. Louisa pursed her lips.

"Challenge accepted, Valdez." She decided, shedding her jacket. Leo felt his heart simultaneously sink and quicken, a steady blush working its way across his face. He knew from the beginning, ever since her sparring sessions with Jason, that there was absolutely _no way_ he was going to out-muscle her and yet… gods above, Percy was going to _kill him._

Louisa smirked at him, resting her elbow on the edge of the console. "Come on then." She prompted, holding her hand out. Leo looked from her hand to her face and back again.

"What do I get if I win?"

"Lifelong admiration 'cos that ain't gonna happen."

"Nice to know you've got faith in me."

"I've got faith in ya _brain_, not so much the rest of ya." Leo hummed dubiously, but grasped her hand, setting his elbow down.

"What do you get if you win then?"

"I get ta button-mash."

"You can have my secret stash of Oreos."

"Deal."

Leo had been looking forward to those Oreos. She ate the entire packet within minutes, grinning victoriously the entire time. Leo tried not to look at her, pretending to sulk, but it didn't help. _Percy will kill you_, a small voice scolded him. He glanced sidelong at her, watched her see how many Oreos she could fit in her mouth at once. _I don't care_, he told the voice_, it'll be worth it._

* * *

Louisa had dozed off just before the sun came up, sat on the floor and leaning against the control panel. Leo spent a little while longer working around her and then crashed next to her. They woke up to yelling. Louisa sat forward, yelling back. Leo, having been using her shoulder as a pillow, fell, shoulder hitting the floor where she had been.

"What's going on?" He mumbled. Jason ran up the steps, frantic.

"We can't find Percy or Annabeth, their bunks are empty!" He dashed off again. Louisa swore. Leo pushed himself up.

"Festus, scan the ship!" He looked back. Louisa had already gone.

Frank found them, in the stables, curled up asleep on a blanket on the hatch doors. He was _mortified_, stammering and wringing his hands. Annabeth, ears red, kept insisting they had fallen asleep after talking for a bit. Hazel wouldn't even look at Percy, Coach was reprimanding them both, his shouts heard all over the ship.

Piper thought it was sweet. Jason, seeing the tick in Coach's eye, decided to stay out of it. Leo and Louisa, once she had calmed down a little, found it hilarious.

"You are _grounded_!" Coach bellowed. "I expected better of you, Chase, but _you_!" He jabbed a finger at Percy. "For shame, Jackson!" Percy was struggling to take him seriously, dutifully keeping quiet while the five-foot-nothing Coach yelled at him. "Don't you have _anything_ to say? We thought you'd been carried off, we didn't know where you were and then poor Zhang-!"

"Leave me out of it." Frank squeaked, hands over his eyes.

"-found you in a compromising-!"

"We fell asleep." Percy said.

"Don't interrupt!"

"We just _fell asleep_." Annabeth persisted, her voice an octave or two higher than usual.

"Classic, classic." Leo grinned, dissolving into giggles with Louisa a second later. Percy glared at him, at the arms they had around each other as laughter got the better of them.

"I want a minimum of eight feet between you and Chase, Jackson!" Coach demanded hotly. "At all times! Is that clear?"

"Yes, Coach." Percy muttered.

"I said _is that clear_?" Coach stomped his hoof, swinging his bat onto his shoulder. Percy eyed him carefully.

"Yes, Coach."

"Then move back five feet!"

"You're starting to sound like Terminus, Coach."

"Is that an insult? 'Cos I'll- I'll terminus you, buddy!" He shooed Percy back five feet. Percy looked imploringly over his head. Hazel and Frank wouldn't look at him, or Annabeth. Annabeth herself was rather pink-faced, Piper grasping her hands and chatting a million miles an hour, beaming. Jason was poking Leo and Louisa, frowning, wondering if they were broken. Louisa swatted at him with one hand, the other holding her ribs. Leo was wiping at his eyes, his giggles slowly dying down. One look at Percy though and he started again. Louisa had to walk him out, his mirth infecting her. They could hear them cackling overhead.

Things had calmed a little once they gathered for breakfast- with doughnuts. Coach had Percy and Annabeth sit at opposite ends of the table, sat in the middle on the left hand side and glowering at them both. Frank seemed rather fixated on his doughnut. Hazel glanced at them and then away just as quickly, fanning herself at the scandal.

Louisa, with doughnut frosting smeared across her cheeks, started the conversation.

"Mornin' all." She grinned. Leo choked on his doughnut, squeezing his eyes shut as laughter bubbled up. "Sleep well?" She continued, a hazard to Leo's health. Piper hit him on the back helpfully.

"Well," Percy said, Hazel and Frank clamping their hands over their ears, "I had a dream about Nico."

"Is this before or after Annabeth came to get you?" Piper asked.

"Or durin'." Louisa said under her breath. Leo wheezed, setting his doughnut down and wiping at his eyes. Percy ignored them and started explaining. Hazel, at the mention of her brother, lowered her hands and could suddenly look at Percy. Leo and Louisa stopped mucking about long enough to listen, growing serious as he told them about the twin giants talking about a jar. "One said it was boring. The other said 'he dies unless the others rescue him'. They want us to be there for July first. He said it was sacred to Juno?"

"Kalends of July." Jason nodded. "Big deal."

"Yeah, well, they said that's when Gaia wanted to destroy us, to _really_ rub it in Juno's face." He looked at Annabeth. "They said something about a talented friend, one asked the other if she was ready."

"Ready for what?"

"A visitor. They said she's been ready for centuries, said no one will be removing _that_ statue." His expression softened with worry. Annabeth said nothing, eyes steely. Percy laced his fingers together on the table, sighing and looking down. "Nico was in the jar." He said quietly. "The air was poisonous, I saw three scratches on the side."

"Three days." Hazel's bottom lip trembled.

"He had seeds, three of them had been eaten. The others were in this red pulp stuff."

"How many more?" Hazel asked.

"Five." He replied softly. Hazel just nodded.

"The seeds are from our stepmother's garden. Persephone." The silverware on the table was gravitating towards her.

"Love Persephone." Coach said gruffly. "Goddess of spring and butt-kicking queen of the Underworld."

"Yes." Hazel said distractedly. "Only children of Hades can have the seeds. They're a last resort food, Nico always kept some on him."

"The giants are trying to lure us in to rescue him." Annabeth rubbed at her jaw. Hazel's eyes flashed angrily.

"Of course we're going to rescue him!"

"Obviously," Louisa agreed, "we had a suicide pact 'n' agreed that's the only way we're gonna die 'n' I'm gonna kill him for leavin' me with you idiots."

"Weird." Coach grunted.

"Again," Hazel sniffed, "not reassuring."

"My bad," Louisa patted her arm, "it's how me 'n' Nico roll, you'll get used to it."

"We're definitely getting him," Frank squeezed Hazel's hand, "but how long before… uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day." Hazel said miserably. "That's if he's put himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air. Like hibernation or a coma. One seed can sustain him for one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said, "that's five days."

"We'll get him." Louisa promised. Piper nodded. Coach hefted his bat, ready for a challenge, pouting when Annabeth made him put it down.

"We will find him, Hazel," Piper agreed, "at least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean. '_Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death_'. Your brother's last name, is di Angelo, right?" Hazel nodded. "Angelo is Italian for 'angel'."

"Oh gods…" Tears welled in Hazel's eyes. "Nico…" Louisa stood, looping her arms around her small cousin. She picked her up, from her seat, in a bear hug, frowning at Piper.

"We _will_ rescue him," Percy vowed, "we _have_ to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

"Right," Piper said, "he went looking for the Doors of Death, he must have found them."

"He can tell us where they are," Percy said, "and how to close them." Louisa's frown deepened.

"'N', ya know, save Nico to save _Nico_."

"Can't breathe." Hazel wheezed.

"Sorry." Louisa gently sat her back in her chair. "You OK?"

"My ribs aren't."

"Sorry."

"Uh, one thing." Leo piped up. "The giants are expecting us to go? We're walking into a trap."

"We have no choice!" Hazel protested.

"Don't get me wrong, I know he's your brother. But he _did _know about both camps."

"So did I!" Louisa threw her hands up. "The gods made us swear not ta say anythin' until the time was right! We're gettin' Nico- fuck it, I'll even go myself!" Hazel grabbed her arm.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "but you can't go alone, it'll be dangerous." Louisa gave her a grim smile.

"I'll be fine."

"You can't kill giants without a god!" Percy reminded her defensively. Louisa whipped round to glare at him, Hazel's fingers tightening on her arm.

"Nico ain't really had anyone ta stand by him for _years_, the kid was livin' with _ghosts_ more than he was the livin'! I ain't gonna let some dickhead ballerina giants kill him 'n' I ain't gonna let you lot bad mouth him either!"

"We're not-"

"Shut up, you've caused me nothin' but trouble for me ever since we met."

"Like you don't cause enough trouble yourself!" Percy retorted hotly.

"Twins, not now!" Annabeth demanded.

"No, I _will_ now! I couldn't sleep _for months_! Chiron, the Apollo 'n' Hypno kids, they all tried 'n' nothin' worked! It got to the point I was just straight up hallicunatin', _Piper_ had ta _charmspeak_ me ta sleep 'n' that was, what, after three months? You saw Polybotes 'n' had a meltdown, I felt that! You had wheatgerm, I couldn't get that taste out for _ages_! Ya ran off 'n' drank gorgon's blood, I _felt that_. Ya fell in a bog 'n' I couldn't _breathe_! I drove Blondie crazy bein' her 'bodyguard' 'cos she was the only thing you could fuckin' _remember_! I had ta listen ta Jerry, this little voice naggin' at me ta be with her twenty-four/seven 'cos _Percy needs Annabeth, have ta keep Annabeth safe for Percy, don't lose Annabeth 'cos Percy's gonna need her_! I had bruises that wouldn't heal until you came back 'n' I don't even know what caused them, but they fuckin' _hurt_!"

"Well, I'm _sorry_," Percy spat, "but last I checked, I couldn't help our connection any more than you could! What'd you want me to _do_, Lou?"

"_Stop fightin_'! The gods put a target on your back as soon as Dad claimed ya 'n' it's just been gettin' more 'n' more hits the more shit you do! They wanna see you fall, Percy, 'n' you sure as fuck ain't bringin' me down too!" Percy opened his mouth to retort, they could hear the plumbing rattling, echoing like a wild cacophony of gunfire, metal clanging on metal, throughout the ship. Leo squeaked at the thought of a flood, _so much damage_, but it was Hazel who stepped in. She shot to her feet, golden eyes ablaze, fists clenched at her sides.

"Both of you, be _quiet_!" She yelled. "My brother is _dying_! Arguing is going to do nothing to help him! I don't want to hear _another word_ from either of you until you learn to get along, is that clear?" They nodded. "Now apologise to each other, we'll talk this over _calmly _later!" She glowered.

"Sorry." Percy muttered.

"Sorry." Louisa grumbled. Neither of them looked at the other. The plumbing quietened. Hazel stomped out. Frank rose to go after her, but Piper shook her head.

"Give her a few minutes to calm down. I'll check on her then." She looked at the twins. "Hazel runs the risk of losing her brother. At least two can sense what the other's doing, no matter how painful or annoying." Louisa pushed her chair back. She left, muttering obscenities. Percy crumbled his doughnut in his hands, glowering. Piper sighed. "Leo, how long until Atlanta?"

"Um…" Leo whistled sharply. "Festus!" He called. The dragon clicked in response. "He says another ten minutes, near enough. What's the plan?"


	8. Chapter 8

The ship landed on a forested hill. Louisa stood next to Leo at the helm as they landed, hands behind her back. She didn't look round when her brother and the others walked in. Percy frowned at the back of her head.

"We have to find salt water," he said, "Frank's coming with me. He's a descendant of Poseidon. Did you want to come too, another salt-water expert and all?" Louisa's shoulders were tense, her gaze fixed steadily on the horizon before them. At her side, Leo glanced nervously between the pair, one hand on his console, as if prepared for a quick escape.

"No." Louisa eventually said monotonously. "If they want a boy 'n' a girl, best we don't."

"Fine." Percy said tightly.

"I'll go!" Coach Hedge bumped a fist on his chest, grinning. Frank and Percy exchanged looks. "Someone has to keep you fish-boys out of trouble and who better than me!"

"Of… of course," Frank agreed, smiling weakly, "that'd be… great, Coach."

"Fish-boys?" Percy frowned. "That's worse than Aquaman or Water Boy."

"You're welcome." Leo grinned, contrite when his amusement didn't reflect in Percy. Coach bounced to the side of the ship, peering down.

"Nice landing, Valdez! Great spot!"

"Um… thanks? Seemed to be good to hide us and-"

"What? No, not that rubbish!" He looked at Frank, smiling wickedly. "You should know what happened on this hill!" Frank shrugged helplessly and the satyr huffed. "A son of Ares stood here!"

"I'm Roman… so Mars, actually."

"Whatever! Famous spot in American civil war!"

"I'm Canadian, actually."

"Whatever! General Sherman, Union Leader. He stood on this hill watching the city of Atlanta burn. Cut a path of destruction all the way from here to the sea! Burning, looting, pillaging- now _there_ was a demigod!" Louisa scoffed. "Oh, you think _you_ can do better, cupcake?" Louisa didn't look round. Green sparks flitted across her palms.

"Coach," she said coolly, "you don't wanna see."

"I kind of do, actually."

"We have to get moving." Frank interrupted. Percy was studying his sister, worry and fury blazing in his eyes. Louisa said nothing, almost mesmerised with the horizon.

"Frank's right," Percy said quietly, "come on, Coach." They left. Louisa stood stock still for a few minutes afterwards, eventually letting out a slow breath.

"You OK?" Leo asked. She moved stiffly, bringing her hands in front of her. Restless green light coiled her fingers, snapping at the air, constricting around her wrists, making her wince. Leo bit his lip. "You need me to pitch apples for you?"

"Like you'd throw them very far." She smiled, pained. Leo did a double-take, pressing his lips together and closing his eyes at her rudeness.

"I do beg your pardon, young lady," he said, shaking his head, "but my throwing arm is amazing."

"Uh-huh." She swore under her breath, grimacing. Her hands curled into fists. The energy brightened tenfold, making it almost painful to look at. Her hands trembled chronically. She was taking deep, almost gulping breaths, glaring at her fists. "Leo, get back, I'll-"

"No, it's OK."

"No, I-" Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. She moved away, her back to him, shivering, breath ragged. Leo watched the back of her head for a moment. Festus creaked worriedly at him.

A warm arm wrapped around her shoulders, gently turning her back round. A second arm went around her waist, her chin bumped his shoulder. Her hands were stuck between their chests. She lay her hands, one on top of the other, over her heart, desperately trying to redirect the energy into her rather than him.

"It's OK." Leo repeated, voice soft. His arms tightened around her, tucking his head next to hers. She could feel his heartbeat on her knuckles, almost in time with hers. He smelled of woodsmoke and machine oil. It was a strange combination; aligned with his natural warmth, she could almost feel his calm seeping into her, spreading from points of contact. "You've got this, Lou." He mumbled in her ear. "You can do it."

"I… I can't-"

"Not buying it." His voice was quiet, but firm. "If you can fist-fight a Titan, I'm sure you can control sea sparks." A laugh bubbled in her throat.

"_Sea sparks_?"

"You're welcome." Leo smiled. He listened to her breathing slowly even out. The crackling against his chest dwindled. A breeze whistled past them, filling his lungs with the scent of the sea. When she hugged him back, he was sure his brain melted; her hands were cold through the back of his shirt.

"Idiot." She chided, barely audible.

"Daww, you love me for it." He grinned impishly. She shook her head, a flick of her hair tickling his nose and cheeks. She drew back, gently easing herself away, squeezing his hand gratefully. Leo smiled, curling his fingers around hers and warming them slightly. "Why are your hands so cold?" He demanded.

"They always are, can't help it."

"Well, I can." He took her other hand and squished them both between his own, determined to warm them. She laughed softly, let him try for almost half a minute. When she let go, Leo's fingers gained pins and needles in her absence. She wiped at her face, pushed a few strands of loose hair back from her forehead. One adamant curl sprung back, near centre of her forehead. She didn't seem to notice, regarding him with soft, grateful eyes.

"Don't do that again," she told him, "I… I don't want you gettin' hurt."

"Consider it payback for all those hours of Rolling Stones." Leo shrugged a shoulder.

"Still." She folded her arms, biting her lower lip.

"Hey," Leo flicked her arm, "you keep saying you've got my back. Can't I have yours?"

"Well," she made a face, "I think I've got more chance of makin' ya brain explode before ya make me spontaneously combust." Leo blinked at her.

"You can make my brain explode?"

"Probably."

"Oh my gods…" A crazed grin burst into life. "Show me!" He bounced on the soles of his feet, clapping his hands twice eagerly. Louisa marvelled.

"Haha, no."

"Oh, good point. If you explode my brain, I'm not going to see the end result." He tapped his finger on his chin in thought. Louisa slugged him in the arm.

"No, you ain't testin' my powers."

"Not even for science? _For science_!" He declared when she shook her head.

"No, no way."

"Aww, that just means you'll miss me if my brain explodes." He beamed. She rolled her eyes, throwing up her hands. "I'm not hearing a no…" Leo teased in a sing-song voice.

"I can only tolerate certain idiots 'n' you, for some strange reason, are one of 'em." She glanced at her watch. "Speakin' of, I'm gonna check on Hazel." He pouted. "I'll be back, someone has ta keep ya entertained."

"Damn straight." He nodded once, hands on hips proudly. She examined her hands, back and front. Leo started to speak, cut off when she swept forward and hugged him again, a quick tight hug.

"Thanks, Valdez. Don't do anythin' stupid while I'm gone."

"You mean until you get back."

"Duh." She pinched his cheeks playfully and left. Two seconds later, Piper stuck her head around the door, a sly grin on her lips and a knowing look in her eyes.

"Tell me _everything_."

* * *

Louisa knocked on Hazel's door, restraining herself from her usual greeting thumps. There was muted grumbling on the other side. "Hazel?" She called tentatively. "Um… I'm… I'm sorry we upset ya arguin'. Are… are you OK?" The door opened, but it wasn't Hazel. "Huh. Blondie." She saw Hazel on her bunk past Annabeth's shoulder. The smaller girl had her back to the door, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"We were just talking about a Seaweed Brain. Along comes the sequel."

"Hey, I'm the better version."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, best 'til last, obviously."

"Obviously."

"Can I come in?" Louisa directed the question at Hazel's back. "I didn't mean ta upset ya, I promise. I just… he drives me crazy, it was yell at him or break his nose. I actually went for the _least_ bloody option."

"And we're all very impressed." Hazel muttered sarcastically, shoulders hunching. Annabeth stood to one side, quietly motioning with her head. Louisa slid in and the door was pushed to behind her. Hazel took a quick glance over her shoulder, brow furrowing as she scowled at her new guest.

"Brothers are idiots." Louisa said.

"Yep." Annabeth nodded, crossing her arms. Hazel looked away.

"Do you think we'll do it?" She asked, facing the wall. "Do you think we'll get Nico in time?"

"Yes." Louisa said firmly. Annabeth shot her a questioning look. Louisa ignored her. "Nico's my little brother in all but blood, Hazel. Too many people have given up on him, I'm not gonna be one of 'em." Hazel sniffed, bowing her head. Louisa moved forward on soft feet. She sat next to Hazel, putting a hand on her shoulder. Hazel looked at her, tears rolling down her cheeks. An unspoken agreement passed between them. Hazel sobbed, throwing her arms around Louisa, crying into her shoulder. Louisa hugged her back, patting her head, rubbing soothing circles in her back. "It's OK," she promised, "Nico's strong 'n' stubborn, he knows what he's doin'."

"It's-not-fair." Hazel said, hiccuping. "He's… he's been through so much, why-? Why-?" Louisa sighed.

"Unfortunately, when ya Big Three, ya get lumbered with all kinds of shit luck." Hazel leant back to look at her. Still crying, but she was angry now. Louisa found that oddly reassuring- anger she could work with.

"Annabeth was telling me about her and Percy's adventures. Everything that happened to Jason, to me, to Nico… Jason's sister was a _tree_, for crying out loud." She scowled again. "What about you?" She wiped stubbornly at her face. "What kind of luck did you get?" Louisa grimaced.

"Yeah, I ain't gettin' inta all of that."

"Tell me something then." Hazel prompted. Louisa considered her, examining her face. Hazel could see the hesitation, as if she was trying to think of something that wouldn't make her run for the hills.

"I… got possessed by a tree once."

"_Possessed_ by a _tree_?"

"Yeah." Louisa smoothed Hazel's hair back from her forehead. "I'll spare ya the details, but Dad put me in charge of this dryad. I don't know the dryad's name, so I called him Popadom-"

"Why?"

"I dunno. First thing in my head 'n' it stuck, so…" She shrugged. "This dryad was… is bad. He…" She sighed, rubbing at her jaw. "He had the idea that he could… absorb other dryads, as if he could… he was tryin' ta use their life force to break free from his tree."

"Break free? Why?"

"Again, I'll spare ya. Anyway, Dad made me track him down when I was… I dunno, ten, eleven-ish? I… my memory is a bit fuzzy 'bout this, but… I had some mortal friends who thought they could help, one of 'em, such a dick, he tried settin' Popadom on fire with, like, a can of hairspray 'n' a lighter. Yeah, such a dumbass." She nodded when Hazel gave a soft laugh. "I had ta get him out of there, obviously, but Popadom took… well, he had friends too, one of 'em was a son of Hecate. I don't know what he did or how it helped Popadom get in my head, but hey, it was great. I was out cold for three days, but only after I got the bastard back in his tree. He's now in a cave at the bottom of the ocean. Dad 'n' I know where it is. I have ta make sure no-one else finds it, I have ta make sure he don't try 'n' break out 'n' I have ta make sure he don't die too."

"What, why? Wouldn't it be easier?"

"Yeah, but when he possessed me, he… I dunno, he did somethin'. If I kill him, I die too. That was fine by me, he was gettin' too strong, but Dad told me there were other things in store for me, which sounds absolutely great, I can't wait." She deadpanned. "'N' then there's the hitch that if I die before, like, _my time_, Popadom can do whatever magic he does, I dunno, 'n' use me dyin' ta get out of his tree."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah, it's fantastic."

"How come you told Hazel more about Popadom than you did Percy and I when he attacked Camp?"

"Because I like Hazel." Louisa squished the smaller girl under her arm, smiling sweetly. Annabeth didn't even look the slightest bit amused. "Chin up, Blondie, you're on my list of tolerated idiots."

"_Idiots_?" Annabeth's cheeks coloured furiously.

"Yep." Louisa confirmed.

The door swung open, slamming into the wall. Annabeth drew her knife. Louisa summoned her sword, jumping forward. Hazel snatched her spatha up from where it leant against the wall.

"_Frank_?" Hazel realised. He doubled over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. His clothes were damp, his hair glistening with water. "Are you OK, what happened?"

"Where's Leo?" He rasped. "Take off, take off!"

"Where's _Percy_?" Annabeth demanded. "And the goat?" Frank waved vaguely at the ceiling, drawing in deep breaths. Hazel put a hand on his shoulder, waving the other two on. Percy and Coach, also damp, were lying on the deck, breathing hard. Coach was grinning, mumbling 'Awesome, awesome, awesome'. Percy was covered in nicks and scratches, like he had jumped through a window. Annabeth knelt at his side, gripping his hand. He caught his sister's eye, gesturing back the way he had come, worried. _They were being followed._ Louisa switched her sword to her bow and ran to the railings, nocking an arrow.

Leo, Piper and Jason rushed up the stairs. Leo held a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. Piper moved forward to check Percy and Coach over too.

"What?" He demanded. "What's going on? Can't a guy even take a sandwich break?" Hazel and Frank appeared at the top of the stairs behind Annabeth. "What's wrong?" Leo asked them.

"Followed." Frank gasped.

"Followed by _what_?" Jason quizzed.

"I don't know!" Frank shook his head. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!" Annabeth glared at him over her shoulder, seemingly ready to strangle him.

"That makes absolutely _no sense_. Leo, you'd better get us out of here. Lou, anything?"

"Not good. Leo, move!" Leo nodded, shoving his sandwich between his teeth, pirate-style, and running for the helm. They were rising in no time. Louisa, Jason, Hazel and Piper scouted for any attacks, but none caught up with them. Percy, Frank and Hedge didn't begin to recover until Atlanta was no more than a hazy smudge in the distance.

"Charleston." Percy said, hobbling about the deck like an old man. "Set course for Charleston."

"_Charleston_?" Jason repeated. "What _exactly_ did you find in Atlanta?" Frank started emptying his backpack.

"Some peach preserves, a couple of T-shirts. A snow-globe. And, um these not-really Chinese handcuffs."

"How about you start from the top?" Annabeth suggested. "Of the story, not the backpack." They moved to the quarterdeck so Leo could hear them too. Percy and Frank took turns relating their adventure at the Georgia Aquarium. Coach interjected from time to time- _That was awesome_! He said. Or, _Then I kicked her in the head_!

"There was… so many creatures in there," Percy shook his head, "they were… drugged into submission, they were like… zombies." He bowed his head, expression crest-fallen. Annabeth put a hand on his arm. Louisa finally looked at her brother.

"That's terrible." Annabeth said. "We need to help them."

"We will." Percy nodded. "In time." He looked to his sister. Their earlier anger seemed to have been forgotten. "We'll have to figure out how." She nodded. "First, though, we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

"Eh, ya'll get used ta it." Louisa shrugged.

"You've got a bounty?" Percy frowned suspiciously at her. Louisa smirked at him.

"I have several. I've pissed off a lot of people."

"I don't find that very hard to believe." Leo laughed.

"You sound rather proud of that." Frank pointed out.

"How many is _several_?" Percy asked. Louisa hunched her shoulders.

"I dunno, thirty somethin'? Like I said, _a lot_ of people." Her nonchalance only drove more questions to plague Percy. He started to ask when Leo suddenly piped up.

"Do we get 'Wanted' posters? And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?" Hazel wrinkled her nose.

"_What_ are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days. I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason. I don't even want to _ask_ what Lou's worth, she's terrifying enough-"

"Thank you."

"But am I worth, like, two Frank's or three Frank's?"

"Hey!" Frank protested.

"Knock it off." Annabeth ordered. "At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston and find this map." Piper leant on the control panel, her braid swishing over her shoulder. She had worked white feathers into her hair.

"A map to _what_?" She asked.

"The Mark of Athena." Percy said, looking cautiously at Annabeth. The blonde's expression was tight- this was _not_ up for discussion. "_Whatever that is_," Percy continued, "we know it leads to something important in Rome that might heal the rift between the Greeks and Romans."

"The giant's bane." Hazel said. Percy nodded.

"And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue." His eyes fell on Frank, who was toying with his not-really Chinese handcuffs.

"According to Phorcys," Frank said distractedly, "we'd have to be insane to try to find it. But what _is_ it?" Every one of them looked to Annabeth. She was quietly fuming, a sudden realisation dawning behind her eyes. Her gaze locked on Jason with fierce scrutiny.

"I… I'm close to answer," she said, "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name _Charleston_… have you been there before?"

"Yeah, Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the CSS _Hunley_."

"Whoa!" Leo grinned, flames excitedly snapping through his hair. "That's the first successful military submarine! From the Civil War, I've always wanted to see it!"

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason explained, "it held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes, until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter." Hazel huffed, crossing her arms.

"So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say… not cool?"

"Yeah, not cool, Sparky."

"Shut up, Lou."

"Make me."

"Back to Charleston." Hazel interrupted. "Are you saying we should check the submarine again?"

"Well…" Jason shrugged. "I can think of _two_ places in Charleston we might search. The museum where the _Hunley_ is, that's one. It has loads of Civil War relics, a map could be hidden in one. I know the layout, I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go!" Leo volunteered instantly. "Take me, me me me!"

"Yes, of course." Jason smiled. "Frank?" Frank looked up, fingers caught in the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too," Jason told him, "we might need you." Surprise washed over Frank's face.

"Me? Why? Not like I was much good at the aquarium."

"You did fine." Percy promised. "It took all three of us to break that glass."

"Besides," Jason added, "you're a child of Mars. The ghosts of defeated combats are bound to serve you. The museum has _plenty _of Confederate ghosts, we'll need you to keep them in line." Frank didn't seem overly happy with that plan. Louisa gave him a reassuring thumbs up.

"OK," he sighed, " sure." He frowned down at his hands. "Uh, how do you-?" He tried pulling his fingers out. Leo snorted with laughter.

"Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to them." Frank tugged again, grimacing when nothing happened. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh. His grimace twisted with concentration and he disappeared. A green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs. The laughter erupted. Frank grew into his human self, smiling embarrassedly, quickly shoving the cuffs in his backpack.

He waited for the laughter to die down a little, ignoring Leo's Chiron impersonation.

"So, the museum is one place to search." He said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "Jason, you said there were two?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded, no longer smiling, "the Battery. It's a park right by the harbour. We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War. Glowing and floating along. It disappeared whenever we got too close. Reyna had this feeling, she should try alone. She did and it spoke to her."

"What did it say?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know, she never told me. Whatever it was, it… she seemed pretty shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or bad news. She never acted the same around me after that." Louisa swore loudly, startling the majority of the group.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head determinedly, "nope nope nope."

"What?" Jason quizzed. "You… do you know-?"

"Nope!"

"Lou, what-?" Annabeth tried.

"Nope nope nope!"

"Lou, just tell us!" Louisa glared at Annabeth, hands over her ears.

"_No_."

"Fine." Annabeth glared back. "A girls' adventure then. We're _all_ going." She smirked at Louisa challengingly.

"No, ya can't make me."

"Yes I can."

"No, ya can't."

"Lou…" Percy warned.

"What?" A silent conversation flitted between them, Percy furiously stubborn, tipping his chin up. Louisa going from defiant to pissed to reluctant agreement and then anger again. She cursed loudly, pulling at her hair. "I hate you all." She declared.

"So that's settled." Annabeth smiled, nodding her thanks to Percy. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Mm." Leo pulled a face. "Festus just detected a group of eagles behind us. Long-rang radar, still not in sight."

"Are you sure they're Roman?" Piper asked.

"No, just a random group of eagles flying in perfect formation. Should we turn round and fight?"

"Yes!" Louisa and Coach exclaimed.

"No," Jason said firmly, "that would be a very bad idea and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"Boo!" Louisa hissed.

"Don't boo him!" Piper swatted her arm.

"We can fly straight to Charleston," Leo carried on, "be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us and things would get… complicated." He considered them over his shoulder. "Or we could send out a decoy, to trick them. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston and get there tomorrow morning." Hazel protested instantly. "I know, I know, Nico's in trouble and we _have_ to hurry."

"After today, four more days!" Hazel argued. "Then he dies!"

"I know!" Leo pressed his hands together. "But this might throw the Romans off; we should still have enough time to reach Rome."

"What do you mean _should_?" Hazel demanded. Leo winced.

"How do you feel about _barely enough_?" He covered his head with his arms. Hazel hid her face in her hands for the count of three.

"Sounds about typical for us." She sighed. Leo did his best to look apologetic. He turned to the intercom.

"Buford!" He called. "Can you come here please?"

"Who's Buford?" Frank asked. Leo just smiled. The table clattered onto deck a minute later, wheezing smoke. Hanging from one of its legs was a hessian bag. "You name your furniture?"

"You don't?" Leo grinned. "He spends most of his time in the engine room. I, personally, think it's 'cos he has a crush on the engine, but he won't admit it. Buford, you ready for Operation End Table?" Buford spewed steam, stepping over to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices. These elongated into wooden blades that spun and Buford took off.

"A helicopter table." Percy nodded. "Pretty cool. What's in the bag though?"

"Dirty demigod laundry. Hope you don't mind, Frank."

"Uh, what?"

"It's for a good cause!"

"Those were my only extra jeans!"

"I asked Buford to get them washed and folded while he's out. Hopefully, he will!" Leo rubbed his hands together, still grinning. "I call that a good day's work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See ya'll at dinner."

"Don't ya'll them, that's my thing."

"Ya'll."


	9. Chapter 9

Percy was sparring with Jason on the deck, Coach and Annabeth standing to one side to make sure they didn't try and skewer each other. Piper was at the helm with Leo, debating Eeveelutions with him. Frank and Hazel were in the mess hall downstairs. Louisa had disappeared. Festus and Percy confirmed she was still on the ship, the latter claiming she just needed to be alone. "She's not a people person." Percy had said, shaking his head.

"Really? We never would have figured that out!"

"I didn't realise you had a sense of humour, Grace."

"Oh, fight me."

"OK." Percy shrugged, dashing at him with Riptide. This had started their sparring session, bronze flashing against gold. Jason had spent months training with and versus Louisa. Percy hit with the flat of his blade, rolled, ducked and dodged, tried tripping Jason up several times. He was not as direct with his attacks as Louisa was, switching from offensive to defensive in a heartbeat.

Jason pushed back, slashing at his head. Percy ducked, slapped his leg with the flat of his sword again. Back and forth. Each time one thought he had gained ground, it was quickly reversed. Jason parried, stabbing forward. Percy hopped to one side with a laugh, swinging at the hilt of his sword. Jason very nearly lost his weapon, shoulder-barging Percy at the last possible second. He staggered, placing two, maybe three feet between them. Jason took a breath, readjusting his grip on his sword as Percy frowned at him. "Well, that was rude." He eventually decided.

"Blame your sister. She did that to me often enough."

"Oh, don't fight like _Lou_. She broke my leg the first time we met."

"She did _what_ now?"

"Leg. Broken. Big ouchy. Bones don't bend that way." Percy said slowly, smirking when Jason's expression deadpanned. He darted forward. Jason blocked his attack instantly, their blades crossed an inch from his face.

To the side, Coach was trying to persuade Annabeth to make a bet. "Come on, Chase, who d'you think will win?"

"Coach, they're just training-"

"Well, _someone's_ not rooting for her boyfriend."

"Coach-"

"I'm telling you, Leo, there's nothing wrong with Sylveon! They only evolve when their friendship and loyalty to their trainer is a high level!"

"No, no, no, Flareon would kick Sylveon's butt!"

"You can't pick a fire type because _you're_ a fire type!"

"Yes I can!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"So's your face!" Piper's head snapped round. Leo yelped, ducking away. "Sorry, don't kill me!"

"OK!" Annabeth called, clapping her hands loudly. Everyone froze. Piper was reaching to strangle Leo, who had his arms over his head. Percy and Jason had each other at sword point. Coach was thoroughly disappointed, frowning at the side of her head. "It's getting late," Annabeth said, "let's get some rest. Piper, don't kill Leo. We need him."

"Just a little bit?"

"No."

"Unfair."

"You've been hanging around Lou too much." Percy shrunk Riptide, slipping the pen in his pocket. "I'm gonna go see if she's alright." He fist bumped Jason, kissed Annabeth's cheek as he passed. He ignored Leo, who shot him a pointed look, tapping his fingers on his cheek. Piper laughed.

"Leo, you idiot."

"No love for Valdez."

"No." Piper agreed, laughing when he pouted at her. She ruffled his hair. "Dork."

* * *

Louisa was on her bunk, her back to the door. She was sketching, but judging by the amount of paper balls around her, she wasn't particularly happy with results. Percy rapped his knuckles gently on the door. She looked up, but didn't turn.

"It's your cabin too. Why ya knockin'?"

"Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Headache. Too many people." She tore out her page, muttering a swear when she uncovered the back of the sketchbook. She tossed the carcass to one side too, twisting her pencil between her fingers instead. She had the left side of the room. Her bed was unmade, she had stuck her feet under her pillow. Pencils, a grubby eraser and chocolate wrappers littered her sheets, amongst the cast off drawings.

"Art block?" Percy asked carefully. He stooped to pick up a ball, carefully unfurling the paper. The drawing was incomplete, base lines and rough guidelines. But he recognised the food trucks, the harpies perched miserably in trees around them. The picnic table with an undetermined mound on top, a plump figure on one side holding a rectangle, a weed-whacker.

Percy grabbed another one. The shape of a small row boat, the pencil smudging at the water level. A third showed him the outlines of New Rome. Another the beginnings of a hippie bag lady. A giant in a throne on an ice berg. A smaller figure sat on the edge of an ice berg looking down, sword in hand. "Lou?"

"What?"

"How… how much did you see? While I was away?"

"Bits." He half-turned at the waist to look at her. She was picking at her bedsheets, her hair falling around her face. He wasn't going to get more than that. He checked the rest of the pictures, making a messy pile on his bed. Every one of them were from his quests, throughout the years. Even an oblong shape with furry scribblings and wide eyes.

"If this is guinea pig me, I'm going to shove this down your throat." She said nothing. Percy sighed, adding it to the pile. He sat next to it, thumbing the sheets. "How come you're drawing all that?"

"Dunno."

"You sleeping OK?"

"Fine."

"Lou-"

"What'd ya want, Percy?" She snapped. She scraped her hair back into a ponytail, but it was in need of a good brushing. Percy bit the inside of his cheek, pushing his temper down.

"Can't I make sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine."

"You're lying."

"Yeah, well, that's none of your business." She glared at him, for a brief moment, looked away. She started throwing the rubbish from her bed onto the floor, placing her pencils in a pot on her nightstand. Percy went through her drawings again, trying to smooth the paper out in his lap.

"How come you didn't finish these?" He asked quietly. She shifted, flopping onto her side, her back to him.

"Didn't want to."

"You draw so well though."

"Whatever."

"Can we stop this?" Percy exasperated.

"Why? What'd you want?"

"My sister not to bite my head off every time she opens her mouth."

"Think 'bout that next time ya drink gorgon's blood."

"I'm sorry, OK? It got me my memory back though _and_ got us the answer to where-"

"Great." She interrupted dully. Percy put the drawings on his bedside table, frowning at the back of her head. "Go to sleep." She told him flatly.

"Can I ask you something first?"

"No."

"You can go back to hating me afterwards. Please." He added, his voice soft. Something in his voice caught at her mind, worry niggling at the edges of her anger. She rolled onto her back, squinting at him. He looked down at his hands in his lap, shoulders slumped.

"What?" She demanded.

"It's stupid." He said, shaking his head slightly.

"Ain't that a given with you?" Louisa sighed. Percy looked up, biting at his lip. She propped herself up on her elbows, staring him out. Percy explained carefully, haltingly. He told her about the aquarium, something he hadn't mentioned before- "I thought I was going to drown."

"But, we can't-"

"I know." He bowed his head, fidgeting with his hands. Louisa sat up, thinking.

"This is 'cos of the bog, ain't it?" He nodded. Louisa passed a hand over her throat. She hadn't been able to breathe either, when he fell in. But she was out in the open, she had people who were clamouring to help her. She could still see, hear, feel them. Percy had known nothing but mud- cold, suffocating mud, in every direction and sense. He had felt it in his lungs, felt it dragging him down, smothering his face…

"Hazel saved me, but since then… I… I just…"

"I know." She said quietly. They looked at each other. "Have you told Annabeth?" He shook his head, panicked at the mere thought of it. "OK." Percy exhaled, massaging the heel of his hand into his chest. Louisa crossed the room in two steps, taking a seat next to him. She didn't say anything, just offered her hand. Percy gripped it, his breathing shaky and irregular. His fingers crushed her hand, cold and clammy, trembling. Louisa let her eyes slowly wander around the room. She didn't focus on anything in particular.

She began to hum. A soft tune, Percy recognised it at once. A lullaby, one his mother used to sing, when he was very small. How Louisa knew it, he didn't know. She didn't know the words, but he could hear them, in Sally's voice, from some recess of his mind. Of a ship in a storm, how the thunder rattled bones, how the waves battered the hull, how to the wind tore at the sails. How the sailor fought on, how he travelled those waves and utilised those winds, how he thought of home, of the warmth of his family, his dinner ready and waiting for him. He thought of his wife, of his children, one line singing clear in Percy's mind- _no sea, no storm, no suffering shall keep us apart; my dear, every roll of thunder echoes the love beating in my heart. _

Percy realised he was humming too, distractedly missing parts. He wanted to listen to her. But he wanted to join in. And he wanted to listen to the version in his head, could almost feel his mother's hand brushing through his hair. _For you, I'll hold back the tide. But for now, these waves are steep-_

"-'n' you need to go to sleep." Louisa finished aloud. Percy blinked, eyelids heavy. His grasp on her hand had slackened. She stood, unrestricted, gently pushing on his shoulder. He lay down and she pulled the covers over him. "Night bro."

* * *

When Annabeth arrived on the deck the next morning, it was to find Jason, Leo and Frank had already gone. Piper had seen them off, remarking how excited Leo had been_-_ "Poor Frank, I don't think he's ready to handle that idiot just yet."

"He'll have to learn quickly." Annabeth smiled. She saw Percy leaning on the railings, watching the sea below. He glanced round when Annabeth tucked a hand through his arm, kissing her temple.

"Morning, Wise-Girl." He smiled. It didn't fully reach his eyes, but he seemed calmer than yesterday, greatly so.

"Morning, Seaweed Brain." She rested her head on his shoulder, looking to the horizon. Her hand slid down his arm to lace her fingers with his. For a moment, she left herself imagine they were travelling, sight-seeing. There was no quest, there was no monsters or evil earth ladies or giants wanting them to bleed out, there was no Mark of Athena. She tried to ignore the Roman markings on his arm, biting back distaste at the sight of them.

Louisa swearing behind them cut through that image. Piper and Hazel were holding onto her arms, grinning while she protested loudly. Annabeth sighed.

"She _really_ doesn't want to come, does she?" Annabeth sighed. Percy looked over his shoulder, smiling lopsidedly. "What are you going to do today?"

"Jump in the harbour." He replied matter-of-factly. "I wanted to talk to the local Nereids, see if they had any ideas how to help that aquarium."

"OK." Annabeth curled her fingers under his chin and kissed him.

"Let me go or I _swear_ I'm gonna gouge ya eyes out with ya kneecaps!" Louisa raged. Percy laughed, resting his forehead on Annabeth's. The blonde sighed.

"Try not to kill her." Percy pleaded.

"I make no promises." Annabeth grumbled. Louisa laughed victoriously, Hazel protesting in Latin. Piper squealed. Louisa had wriggled free of Hazel's grip, picking her other captor up in a fireman's lift, holding both her wrists in one hand. Piper was rather pink, looking to Annabeth for both help and in denial. Annabeth shook her head, moving from one twin to the other. "Let's go find this ghost of the Battery." She said.

"No!" Louisa shook her head.

"_Yes_." Annabeth defied.

"I'll throw Piper in the harbour!"

"No, don't throw Piper in the harbour!" Piper squirmed. "Put me down! _Percy_, control your sister!"

* * *

At first, the walk along the Battery was good, relatively enjoyable. Piper had linked her arm with Louisa's, once Percy had talked her into putting Piper down, and now walked alongside her, making sure she didn't try to escape. Louisa wasn't overly happy with this, muttering under her breath, but she didn't pull away.

An ocean breeze swept away the muggy heat of the summer afternoon. Louisa took a deep breath at the scent of her element, some of her agitation fading away. Piper smiled at her. "Glad you came down? You must have been getting a bit stir crazy on that ship."

"It weren't too bad when the company left." Louisa raised her brows at her. Piper tutted, holding onto her arm tighter, secretly enjoying the strength concealed under her jacket. Louisa didn't seem to notice any ulterior motives, eyes scanning the park cautiously. Civil war cannons and bronze statues of historical figures lined the road. Annabeth considered each one grumpily, a little bemused when Louisa aimed a kick at one.

"Behave." Piper chided, half-laughing and pulling her away.

"Never." Louisa stuck her tongue out, resuming her search of the park. Annabeth noticed her scrutiny.

"What do you know about this ghost, Lou?"

"I don't." Louisa replied flippantly, looking over her shoulder. Piper had to pull her out of the way of some other pedestrians. When she faced forward, she was met with Annabeth's frown. "What?"

"You're not telling us something and I don't know why." Louisa contemplated something for a moment, expression light yet unreadable.

"Did I tell ya about the time I tied Triton ta a hippocampus?" She smiled. Annabeth threw up her hands, wordlessly complaining.

"Why won't you tell us?" Hazel quizzed. "Surely it's important."

"It's icky 'n' I don't wanna."

"Icky?" Piper repeated. Annabeth inhaled, eyes closed, silently counting. The breeze flitted around them and for a moment, she seemed less irritated. Louisa looked out to the harbour. No doubt the ocean scent gently wafting around them had Annabeth thinking of Percy.

Annabeth opened her eyes. Louisa waved, smiling, and she scowled.

"Let's keep walking." She muttered. Piper squeezed Louisa's arm.

"Stop being annoying and just tell us."

"I'll tell ya if ya let me go."

"No chance, you'll run back to the ship."

"Exactly." They walked along South Battery Street. Four-storey colonial mansions seemed to watch them as they passed, brick walls coated with ivy. Gardens were bursting with rosebushes and honeysuckle and flowering bougainvillea, all of which was _fantastic_ for Louisa's allergies. She stopped dead in her tracks, Piper jolting a step ahead of her, and sneezed.

"You're revolting." Piper grimaced when Louisa wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"I've done worse." Louisa shook her head, sneezing again.

"It looks like New Rome," Hazel mused, "with the gardens, the columns and the arches-" She was interrupted by a sneeze, laughing as Louisa groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"That one hurt." Louisa complained, bowing her head. "Can we move away from plants now, _please_?" Piper's grip tightened on her arm, a sudden brisk step in her walk. "Hey, you OK?" Piper looked at her- _not now_, her eyes said. Louisa just nodded, turning her head away to sneeze. Piper's fingers dug into her upper arm. Louisa put a hand over them, offering a reassuring smile that didn't 100% work with red eyes and a sneeze caught in her nose. Piper got the gist, smiling sympathetically.

"The great daughter of Poseidon," she teased, "brought down by some honeysuckle."

"Ya know, I don't have ta be nice to you."

"Oh, yes you do. You love me."

"Eh." Louisa shrugged. "I'd love ya more if ya let me go back."

"Sacrifices must be made." Piper wrinkled her nose and laughed, her step softening a fraction. "Oh my gods," Piper pointed at something past Louisa, "there it is." A hundred yards out, a shimmering white figure gloated on the water. Louisa scowled, the edges of the water creeping closer to them.

"No, Lou," Annabeth put a restraining hand on her shoulder, "don't drown the ghost."

"That's not a ghost." Hazel said, cupping her hands round her eyes. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly." She looked to the others. Piper started walking across the street, dragging Louisa with her. Louisa spluttered protests, but couldn't get her arm free. Piper walked, as if in a trance, towards the edge of the seawall. Louisa had to haul her to one side to avoid being run over by a horse-drawn carriage. The horses whickered at her, shaking their manes.

"I ain't translatin' that." She told them.

By the time Annabeth and Hazel caught up with them, the ghost was only a few yards away. Piper was glaring at it, like it had offended her.

"It _is_ her." She huffed. The ghost floated up onto the seawall in front of them, the glow fading. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Her features shifted from one glamourous movie star to another. Her eyes were playful, changing from blue to green to amber, her straight blonde hair morphing into dark chocolatey curls. Just like Jason had said, she was dressed like a Southern belle in a silk, pink low-cut bodice, a three-tiered hoop skirt with white scalloped lace. Her arms were covered with long, white silk gloves and she held a pink and white feather fan to her chest. She was so easily graceful, so perfectly beautiful, radiated feminine charm to the point she almost _glowed_\- Louisa wanted to hit her, see if she could make bruises and bloody noses look pretty.

"Aphrodite." Annabeth said.

"Venus?" Hazel gaped.

"Mom." Piper frowned.

"Shit." Louisa back-tracked.

"Girls!" Aphrodite spread her arms like she wanted a group hug, oblivious to Piper struggling to keep Louisa from scarpering. "I'm so glad you're here! War is coming, bloodshed is inevitable! So there's really only one thing to do!"

"Uh… and that is?" Annabeth hunched her shoulders.

"Why, have tea and chat of course! Come with me! You too, Louisa."

"No no no no _no._"


	10. Chapter 10

**Short chapter!**

* * *

Aphrodite's tea party was set up in the central pavilion of the gardens, in a white pillared gazebo. The table was set with silverware, china cups, a steaming pot of tea, plates of scones, cookies and muffins, fresh butter and jam. Aphrodite nestled herself in a wicker peacock chair, humming to herself as she poured the tea. Her posture was perfect, her expression serene and gorgeous. The girls sat around her tentatively, Louisa automatically slumping low in her seat, shoving several cookies in her mouth and fuming.

"Oh, my sweet girls, I do love Charleston!" Aphrodite beamed. "The weddings I've attended in this gazebo- they bring tears to my eyes! And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South. Ah, they were lovely!" She offered Hazel a scone. "Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they call me Venus."

"Which are you?" Annabeth asked carefully. "Venus or Aphrodite?" The goddess sipped her tea.

"Annabeth Chase," she mused, "you've grown into quite a beautiful young lady. You really should do something with your hair though. And Hazel Levesque, your clothes-"

"My clothes?" Hazel looked down at herself, not self-consciously, but trying to discern what was wrong with her rumpled denim.

"Mother!" Piper protested. "You're embarrassing me."

"Well, I don't see why. Just because _you_ don't appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn't mean others won't." Aphrodite looked to Louisa, sighing. "I know you will never change." Louisa replied by shoving a cake in her mouth, glaring defiantly. "I could, however, do a makeover for Annabeth and Hazel, perhaps silk ball gowns like mine-"

"Mother!"

"Fine." Aphrodite sighed again. "To answer your question, Annabeth, I am _both_ Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to the other. Love is love, after all, whether you are Greek or Roman. This civil war won't affect me as much as the others."

"We're not at war yet, my lady." Hazel nibbled at a cookie.

"Oh, dear Hazel." Aphrodite gave a simpering smile, folding her fan. "Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of _course_ war is coming. Love and war always go together! They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness." She smiled knowingly at Annabeth. Hazel put her cookie down, unaware of crumbs on her chin.

"What do you mean, heartrending days?"

"Well," Aphrodite laughed, "Annabeth could give you some idea. I once promised to make _her_ love life interesting. And didn't I?" She beamed at Annabeth. The blonde considered her for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Interesting… is a mild way of putting it." Annabeth eventually managed, voice tight.

"Well, I can't take _all_ the credit for your troubles! But I do adore twists and turns in a love story! Oh, all of you are such excellent stories! I mean, girls. You do me proud!" She looked sidelong at Louisa, who had sat forward to help herself to a muffin. "Especially you, Louisa." The muffin crumbled in Louisa's hand, sea green eyes locking on the goddess. "Oh, I can't _wait_ for that to unfold!" Aphrodite fanned herself. Louisa's teacup tipped over of its own accord, staining the table cloth. "I can see it now," Aphrodite continued, spreading her hands, eyes bright and gleeful, "you'll realise what they mean to you when you're broken done to nothing more than a shell of your current self! Oh, it'll be _so_ romantic!"

"Broken… broken down?" Louisa clenched her fists. The teapot and other cups startled to rattle. Aphrodite nodded, oblivious.

"What do you mean, Lady Aphrodite?" Annabeth asked. "What'll happen to Lou?"

"Oh, I can't spoil it, my dear! Some things are too good to share!"

"Good?" Hazel frowned. "Or heartrending?" The goddess simply laughed again. Piper's teacup, the next closest to Louisa, shattered.

"Mother," she said quickly, "is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the atmosphere… you can just smell the romance and heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it." She pointed to a nearby mansion. "Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night the American Civil War began. The shelling of Fort Sumter."

"The island in the harbour." Annabeth said, something dawning on her. "That's where the first fighting of the Civil War happened. The Confederates shelled the Union troops and took the fort!"

"Oh, such a party!" Aphrodite continued. "A string quartet, all the men-" Louisa's fist hit the table. All the plates and cutlery jumped. Hazel's teacup fell.

"Yeah, that's great." Louisa growled. "Can ya skip ta the important stuff so we can leave?" Piper pinched her leg under the table, hissing her name, but Louisa didn't even bat an eyelid at her.

"It's all important, my dear!"

"_No_."

"Oh, did you want to know more, Louisa? About your story?"

"No, I-"

"I can't really tell you much more, I'm afraid. Look for your opposites."

"Opposites?" Annabeth echoed. "Why is that plural?"

"Oh, my dear sweet girl! I've said too much already! Louisa is right, time is short. I'm here to help you girls. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Her little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other gods are rather indisposed, as you know. Some more than others." She looked at Annabeth. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling-out with your mother?" Annabeth coloured furiously. The other three looked to her questioningly.

"Falling-out?" Hazel asked.

"An argument." Annabeth said dismissively. "It's nothing."

"Nothing!" Aphrodite shook her head. "Athena was the most Greek of all the goddesses, the patron of Athens, after all! When the Romans took over… oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had _other_ war gods, more to their taste, more reliably _Roman_, like Bellona."

"Reyna's mom." Piper said.

"Yes, indeed. I had a lovely talk with Reyna a while back, right here in the park. And the Romans had Mars, of course. Later, there was Mithras, not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. I always found him rather crass- you would have liked him, Louisa, you're just as bad."

"Thanks."

"At any rate, the Romans side-lined poor Athena, they took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

"The Mark of Athena." Annabeth said quietly. "It leads to a statue, doesn't it? It leads to… to _the_ statue."

"You are clever," Aphrodite smiled, "like your mother. Understand though, your siblings have been searching for centuries. None have succeeded in recovering the statue. In the meantime, they've been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war… so much bloodshed and heartbreak… has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children.

"That's…" Annabeth faltered.

"Romantic?" Aphrodite offered. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"But…" Annabeth frowned, "the Mark of Athena, how does it work? Is it a series of clues or a trail set by Athena?"

"Hmm," Aphrodite looked politely bored, "I couldn't say. I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where it was, she'd simply tell you. No… I'd guess the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of bread crumbs. A connection between the statue and Athena's children. The statue _wants_ to be found, but can only be freed by the most worthy."

"And for thousands of years, no one has managed." Annabeth said glumly.

"_What _statue?" Piper interjected.

"I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in." Her mother said, blasé. "At any rate, the clue you need is close by. A map, of sorts, left by the children of Athena in eighteen-sixty-one. But as you said, Annabeth Chase, no one has ever succeeded in following the Mark of Athena to the end. There, you will face your worst fear- the fear of all children of Athena. And even if you survive, how will you use your prize? For war or for peace?"

"Guys!" Hazel pointed up. Two eagles were circling the trees. Above them, descending rapidly, was a chariot, pulled by pegasi. Louisa swore, on her feet and summoning her bow. Aphrodite spread butter on a muffin, unworried.

"The map is at Fort Sumter, of course. It looks like the Romans have arrived to cut you off though. Would you care for some teacakes to go?"


	11. Chapter 11

They didn't make it to the ship. Halfway across the dock, three eagles deposited a Roman commando in front of them. Each one wore purple and denim under gold, glittering armour. The eagles flew away, the Roman in the middle raised his visor.

"Surrender to Rome!" Octavian shrieked.

"Be quiet!" Louisa snapped.

"Fat chance, Octavian!" Hazel challenged at the same time. Annabeth cursed under her breath. Octavian may have been a shrimp, but his two buddies were massive and far stronger than she wanted to deal with. She and Piper only had knives, Hazel had her spatha. Louisa was armed anyway, but only had eyes for Octavian, ready to kill him.

"Octavian," Piper held her hands up, "what happened at Camp was a set-up, we can explain!"

"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears! Standard procedure for battling evil sirens! Now throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands!"

"Let me skewer him." Hazel pleaded.

"Only if ya get there first." Louisa growled. She charged, Annabeth yelling in warning behind her. The two guards drew a gladius each. Octavian ducked behind them, screeching for them to protect him.

"What is she _doing_?" Piper wailed. Hazel raised her cavalry sword, but was held back by Annabeth. Louisa ducked an attack from the guard on the left, slamming her fist under his chin. His feet left the floor, back arching. He hit the dock with a heavy clang, metal on wood. His buddy stabbed at Louisa, but she wasn't there, grabbing the front of Octavian's armour.

Annabeth threw her knife, as far as she could, into the water. Louisa raised her sword, slamming the hilt of her weapon into the second guard's head. The first one was groaning, slowly sitting up. Octavian screamed, struggling to get his weapon free. She hefted her sword, eyes blazing, ready to strike.

The water exploded around them, shooting thirty feet into the air. For a moment, all they could see was water, swirling around them. When it subsided, Percy stood on the end of the dock, holding Annabeth's knife.

"You dropped this." He said, poker-faced. Annabeth beamed, running and hugging him.

"I love you!" She kissed his cheek. To their right, Louisa, dry, pulled herself onto the dock, cursing at her brother.

"I had him!" She fumed.

"Yes, I saw." Percy shook his head. "Killing Octavian would be great… if it didn't make you _more_ of a criminal."

"Worth it." Louisa grumbled.

"They won't drown, will they?" Piper asked.

"No, I've got the water circulating under their feet. It'll spit them ashore once we're safe."

"Imma drown them." Louisa raised her hand. The water responded immediately, folding over Octavian. Percy's hand shot out, clamping around her fingers and Octavian emerged, spluttering. He scrambled to hold onto one of his guards, their combined armour weight working against them. Louisa yanked her hand free, opening her mouth to undoubtedly swear some more. A second later, Percy had in a fireman's lift, starting off towards the ship. "No, put me down!"

"Come back!" Octavian ordered shrilly. "Come back and surrender! Rome will have your h-" The last bit was cut off as he spat out a mouthful of seawater. "Rome will have your heads!"

"I'll make darts from your spine 'n' use ya head as target practise!" Louisa pushed on her brother's back, squirming to get free.

"And this is why we can't have nice things, Lou." Percy replied easily. Piper and Hazel shared uneasy looks.

They made it back to the ship, the only issue being Louisa spewing vulgarities and threats the entire time, shifting between English and Latin. Percy just nodded along, made a few noises of agreement whenever she stopped for breath, but it was clear he wasn't listening.

"Piper," Annabeth touched her arm, "send Jason an IM to come back. Hazel, can you find Coach, tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck?" They both nodded and scattered. Annabeth looked to Percy as he set Louisa down, gripping her shoulders to stop her going back and snapping Octavian's neck. "You two are going to help me get this ship to Fort Sumter." Percy nodded. Annabeth ran for the controls, gunning the engine. The twins' effect on the ship was almost immediate. The sails unfurled of their own accord, ropes flew on their own, releasing dock ties, redrawing the anchor. Louisa stood behind the mast, glowering at the sail. She planted her feet shoulder-width apart, spreading her arms. The wind bustled around her, trailing her hands as she waved her arms in wide, sweeping motions. The hurricane she built, two foot taller than her and growing, filled the sails. The engine chugged and the ship lurched forward. The oars extended and they were off.

Three eagles circled them, but didn't risk getting close. Festus was spitting fire at them. A dozen eagles in formation were flying to the fort. Hedge clattered onto deck, Hazel just behind him.

"Where are they, who do I kill?" He demanded, brandishing his bat.

"No killing!" Annabeth ordered. "Just defend the ship!"

"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!" He protested. Annabeth glared and he ran to a ballistae. Piper returned.

"I got a message to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he said they're already on their way back. He should be- oh! There!" She pointed. A giant bald eagle was flying towards them, not like the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" Hazel grinned. Holding onto the eagle's feet, screaming and cursing, was Leo, Jason flying behind them.

"I've never seen Jason fly before." Percy mused. "He looks like a blond Superman."

"This isn't the time!" Piper snapped her fingers, gaining his attention. "They're in trouble!" The Roman chariot dived them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid pegasi hooves, Leo screamed louder.

The charioteers fired their bows. Their arrows whistled under Leo's feet, drawing forth more swearing. Louisa abandoned the hurricane, summoning her bow. She dashed to the forward rail, firing back. Percy appeared at her side, yelling at the pegasi to turn around, to leave.

However, Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the ship and fly straight to Fort Sumter.

"I'll get 'em!" Coach declared, spinning the port ballistae. Annabeth started to yell 'Don't be stupid!', but he fired. A flaming spear rocketed towards the chariot. It exploded over the pegasi, sending them into a panicked frenzy. It singed Frank's feathers, he spiralled. Leo was dropped, the flaming wreckage of the chariot shot towards the fort, slamming into Jason. Piper screamed. They could only watch in horror as Jason lunged for Leo, dazed and in pain. He caught him, but lost altitude, only slowing their fall. All three of them disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. The chariot dropped somewhere inside with a bone-shattering CRACK, one wheel spinning into the air.

"Coach!" Piper rounded on him.

"That was a warning shot!"

Annabeth pushed the ship on. The docks of Fort Sumter were a hundred yards away. A dozen more eagles swept in, each carrying a Roman. They soared overhead, outnumbering the crew.

"Twins!" Annabeth called. "We're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks! Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you, help them guard the ship!"

"But, Jason-"

"Frank and Leo!"

"I'll find them." Annabeth promised. The twins split, running to each side of the ship. A wave roared to life under them, slathering the hull of the ship. Their landing stabilised slightly, Hazel groaned as the ship bounced on the water. They were lowered carefully. Piper pushed Coach from the ballistae, swivelling to fire. Hazel gripped the railing, surveying the oncoming attack. Annabeth gritted her teeth, trying to steer alongside the twins.

They landed with a soft bump, water spraying into their faces. Percy and Louisa returned, high-fiving. Annabeth nodded at them, smiling tiresomely. "I've got to find the map," she announced, "and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that can."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy pointed out, "you'll have to fight your way through, find our friends- assuming they're OK-"

"I'm gonna get ya for this, Coach." Louisa growled, flexing her fingers.

"-find this map," Percy continued, "and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day." Annabeth kissed him. "Whatever you do," she said, running for the ladder, "don't let them take this ship!"

"No pressure." Louisa grumbled. She nocked an arrow, aiming at the closest Roman. She fired with deadly accuracy. A net exploded from the tip, ensnaring the bird's wings and trapping the Roman to its back. They fell, a second Roman steering their eagle into a dive after them. She reloaded and blasted another from the sky with an incendiary arrow. Percy threw his hands out, giant watery hands lunging at the birds, swatting and grabbing at them. Coach, having been banned from missiles, ran back and forth on the deck, screaming challenges and swinging his bat.

An eagle dived around Percy's water hands, the Roman jumped on the deck. Hazel yelled defiantly, drawing her sword. Louisa was momentarily distracted at this small spitfire swinging a cavalry sword at the Roman's head.

"Lou!" Piper cried. Louisa faced forward, the claws of an eagle inches from her face. She threw her hand up, a column of water slamming into the underside of the bird. The Roman on its back was bucked off, landing on his back on the deck. The eagle squawked, flapping to right itself. Louisa turned the water on the Roman, washing him off the ship before he even found his feet. Hazel disarmed her opponent, dropped to a crouch and sweeping her leg, kicking the Roman's out from under them. She waved her hand and they were sent flying over the edge, yanked away by their armour. Louisa laughed.

"Nice one, Hazel!"

"There they are!" Coming over the ramparts, a dragon, two figures on his back. The dragon spewed flames, pushing the eagle advance back. It brought them a few seconds, but Frank morphed back into himself before he had fully landed. He, Jason and Leo fell ten feet, landing in a heap, collectively groaning in pain.

"Sorry." Frank wheezed. "Didn't mean to."

"We'll talk about this later," Leo grumbled, pushing himself up, "expect stern words, Zhang." Jason put his hand on Leo's head, using him a leverage and effectively stunning him into a moment's silence. He drew his sword, moving to stand next to Percy. They fist bumped, grinning lopsidedly.

Louisa fired a flashbang arrow into the heart of the regrouping eagles, scattering them again. Her bow shrank in her hand and she jumped to her brother's side. Leo rushed for the controls, hands flying over them. Festus creaked at him.

As one, the twins and Jason summoned a storm. Water and wind churned together, waves heaved against the ramparts, rocking the ship. Thunder deafened them, rattling the ship. Lightning flashed, bleaching the world black and white each time it struck. The boys stood with their swords crossed, controlling the rolling storm overhead. Louisa stood before them, drawing the winds to her. Her hurricane returned, tenfold, its tail tied into the water below. It sucked up the water, thinning it out as the hurricane expanded, it reached heights over the ship. Eagles fought desperately to get away from it, only to be knocked from the sky by lightning. Piper yelled something at them, words lost to the winds. She dashed off.

Leo struggled with the controls. He looked at the storm-makers over his shoulder, shouting. No one heard him, Louisa cupped her hands around her ears and shook her head. The hurricane screamed past, teetering, spraying water in all directions. She threw her hands out, Percy did too. The hurricane and a wave five stories tall swarmed after the remaining Romans. Piper returned, Annabeth in tow. Leo threw power to the engines and the Argo II swept forward. Jason and Percy parted, Percy reaching for Annabeth, gripping her elbow. Jason aimed his sword at the sails, changing the direction of the wind and filling them. Louisa pulled the water under the ship once more, glowering at her brother to help. Percy scrambled, pocketing his pen. The ship rocked as he added his input, water swelling beneath them.

"Quickly!" Leo yelled, his voice ripped away by the wind. The walls were zooming towards them. The twins threw their hands up. The wave rocketed upwards, taller than the fort's walls, sweeping them over and pushing them out to sea. Annabeth squeezed Leo's shoulder to get his attention, shouting in his ear.

"Percy say he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbour!"

"Good for him!"

"The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron's brothers!"

"What, the Party Ponies?"

"Not sure! But I've got coordinates! Can you input latitude and longitude on this thing?"

"I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want! Of course I can do latitude and longitude!" Annabeth rattled off the numbers. Leo tapped them with one hand, not taking his eyes off the horizon. A red dot popped up on his bronze display screen. "It's in the middle of the Atlantic! Do the Party Ponies have a yacht?" Annabeth shrugged.

"Just hold the ship together until we get further from Charleston. Jason and the twins will keep up the winds!" Leo gave a thumbs-up.

"Happy fun time!"


	12. Chapter 12

Forever seemed to crawl by before the wind died down and the sea calmed. Leo's eyes were burning, but he didn't dare face any direction but forward. Festus fed him reports, the ship wasn't too badly banged up.

"Valdez," Coach said at his ear, with surprising gentleness, "let me take the wheel. You've been steering for two hours."

"Two hours?" Leo croaked.

"Yeah. Give me the wheel."

"Coach?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I can't move my hands." Leo's fingers didn't respond, tightly woven around the wheel. Coach gently pried his fingers away, each digit complaining as he did so, stiff and sore. Leo rubbed at his eyes roughly, looking at the console. What was he forgetting? Staring at the controls, he just couldn't think. His eyes wouldn't focus, tired from their fixation on the horizon. "Watch for monsters, Coach." He said wearily. "And be careful with the damaged stabiliser. And-"

"I've got it covered, now go away!"

Leo stumbled away, his knees like marshmallows. He found the others around the mast. Percy and Jason sat with their backs to the masts, heads slumped with exhaustion. Louisa, sat on Percy's left, had fallen sideways over her brother's lap, her head upside down on his right. Her hair was tangled and pooling on the floor. Leo tipped his head at her, smiling bemusedly. She squinted at him, confused. Annabeth and Piper were trying to get the boys to drink some water.

"No sign of pursuit." Frank reported.

"Or land." Hazel mumbled, looking a little green. Leo glanced around; ocean for miles in every direction.

"Did you get the map?" He asked Annabeth. She nodded, pale.

"I'll have to study it. How far are we from those coordinates?"

"At top rowing speed, about an hour. Any idea what we're looking for?"

"No. Percy? Lou?" Louisa told her to do something physically impossible. Percy, eyes bloodshot and droopy, lifted his head slightly.

"The Nereid said Chiron's brothers were there and they'd want to hear about the aquarium in Atlanta. I don't know what she meant, but…" He trailed off, energy seemingly draining from the effort of speaking. Louisa groaned, picking up the sentence.

"Ya said she warned ya about Keto. She can't get us, but her kids can."

"Wonderful." Frank muttered. Jason tried to stand. Piper caught him as his legs buckled and he slid back down the mast.

"Can we get the ship aloft?" He asked, hugging his stomach. "If we could fly-"

"That'd be great." Leo agreed. "But Festus tells me the port aerial stabiliser got pulverised when the ship hit the dock at Fort Sumter."

"We were in a hurry." Annabeth said defensively. "Trying to save you."

"A very noble cause," Leo nodded, "I'm just saying, it'll take some time to fix. Until then, we're not flying." The twins cheered weakly.

"Sea good." Percy said.

"Sky bad." Louisa finished. She squinted at Jason. "'N' we outnumber you, Jay." They said that last bit together. Leo contained snickers as Jason sulked.

"Speak for yourself." Hazel had her hands over her mouth. Frank gently held her by the elbows, worry creasing his brow. Hazel smiled gratefully at him, glancing at the evening sun. It was almost to the horizon. "We need to go fast."

"Gotta go fast." Percy and Louisa giggled weakly.

"What?" Hazel puzzled. Annabeth shushed the pair, sending Hazel an 'ignore them' look. "We've burned another day," Hazel pressed on, "Nico only has three left."

"We can do it." Leo promised. "We can make it to Rome in three days, as long as no-" Water splashed him in the face. Louisa dropped her hand.

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence."

"Is there any good news?" Frank asked. Leo spat out salt water.

"Actually, yes. Festus says Buford made it back safely, while we were in Charleston. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."

"Dang it!" Frank huffed. Louisa started giggling, feebly, but uncontrollably. She hid her face in her hands, shoulders shaking. Percy patted her head, sighing and grimacing. He doubled over, groaning. Louisa's laughter turned into 'Ow ow ow's.

"Did the world just turn upside down?"

"I'm gonna be sick."

"And spinning." Jason added, pressing his hands to his head. "Everything's yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?"

"Really really sick."

"That storm really sapped your strength," Piper said, helping Louisa sit up, "you need to rest."

"I was doin' fine. 'Til Percy started sappin' me."

"I did not."

"Did too. I ain't a spare battery, bro."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Twin connection. It's great. I feel gorgon's blood. You steal my energy."

"I… didn't know that was a thing. My bad."

"Frank," Annabeth said, "can you help us get them below deck?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Try not to drop them too." Leo said cheekily.

"Shut up, Valdez."

"You love me really, Zhang." Frank rolled his eyes at him. Annabeth helped him with the boys. Piper was trying to coax Louisa to her feet, tucking her arms under Louisa's and trying to pull her up, but Louisa complained and let herself be a dead weight. Piper dropped her, nearly tripping over her. Frank had already taken Jason down by this point, coming back for Percy. Annabeth turned to help Piper. Louisa lay on her side, glaring up at them both.

"Come on, Lou," Piper said as if talking to a naughty toddler, "let's get you somewhere more comfortable."

"I can do it… _myself_."

"I'll get some hotdogs." Piper bribed. Louisa's annoyance melted a little in contemplation. "And ice cream. And pizza. And cake."

"It's a date then, Pipes." Louisa smiled woozily.

"You've been hanging out with Leo too much." Piper and Annabeth got Louisa to her feet, Louisa's arm around Piper's shoulders. She managed to stumble between them and they disappeared down the stairs.

Leo looked to Hazel. They could hear Coach singing the Pokémon theme song, but he had changed it to 'Gotta kill 'em all!'.

"She's weird." Hazel said, mystified.

"Just a smidge." Leo agreed. "Means she fits in well with the rest of us though."

"Um, excuse me?"

"If you weren't weird, you wouldn't be a part of this crew. Take it as a compliment." There was a crash from below deck, quickly followed by Louisa laughing and Piper's "Lou, don't you dare!" Leo sighed, couldn't resist a smile. Hazel studied him sidelong. "What?" She held out her hand. Leo blinked at it.

"I think I know way to show you who Sammy was. Maybe it'll help figure out why you look so much like him."

"Oh. OK. Um, how?"

"I'm going to remember my past. I can take you with me." She waggled her fingers.

"OK," Leo said, tentatively taking her hand, "show me."

* * *

"Louisa, I swear to gods_…_"

"It's just a lil' smotherin', Blondie, _gods_."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are _not_ killing your brother."

"Funsponge."

"No, I second that." Percy grimaced. Piper took Louisa by the arms and dragged her away, forcing her to sit back on her bunk. Annabeth shook her head, helping Percy sip a glass of nectar.

"Why does she always want to kill you?" Jason asked.

"A lot of people do." Percy shrugged a shoulder.

"Well, I get priority." Louisa declared, trying to stand again. Piper pushed on her shoulders and she overbalanced, tumbling back onto the bed. "Rude." She muttered. Piper sat next to her. They had been trying to get some food and nectar into Jason and the twins, but only the boys had complied. Louisa seemed more interested in holding a pillow down on her brother's head. Piper picked up Louisa's bowl of chocolate pudding, pulling on her wrist until she sat up. "Ow ow ow."

"Sorry." Piper smiled somewhat apologetically. Louisa swayed, blearily watching Piper, dumbfounded. She complained wordlessly, falling forward, hugging Piper around the waist, her head on her shoulder. Piper held the bowl aloft, patting Louisa on the head.

"If you 'n' Jay don't work out, call me."

"Ooh, I had a feeling you were bi."

"Is that what it is? Noice."

"Don't steal my girlfriend." Jason warned.

"Or mine."

"Nah." Louisa hugged Piper tighter, pouting. Annabeth pretended to be offended, stifling laughter. Percy gripped her hand.

"Don't worry, Seaweed Brain. She's not my type either. Drink this." By the time Percy had finished his glass, Louisa had fallen asleep on Piper's shoulder. Piper was humming softly, looking amused, gently stroking Louisa's hair. Jason huffed and she laughed.

"You don't need to worry either, Sparky." Her eyes glittered knowingly.

"Ooh, she's got gossip." Jason realised. Annabeth shushed him gently, spoon feeding him chocolate pudding. Percy sighed, gradually drifting off. Jason managed a few more mouthfuls, but he didn't stay awake much longer either.

"So," Annabeth said, "what's this gossip?"

"Ooh, no, Lou would rip my arms off."


	13. Chapter 13

**To Guest- quite a nice surprise to see 10 reviews when I woke up this morning, thank you! So- Chapter one, thank you! Chapter 2, Hedge is the best! Chapter 3, and that's coming, don't worry! (_Do worry)_. Chapter 4- now I need to reread the Kane Chronicles, thanks dude D: Chapter 5- I had to google tsundere, not gonna lie, but I guess? Chapters 6 and 7- tada! And Chapter 9, no, no she doesn't.**

* * *

The ship lurched to one side. Percy and Jason woke first. Louisa just groaned, only opening her eyes when the alarms started blaring. She muttered foul curses into Piper's shoulder. "Five more minutes." She requested, hiding her face.

"Lou, come on." Percy pushed himself up, grabbing Jason by the shoulder when the ship rocked again. Louisa groaned, but followed her brother. They were first on the deck. "Gah! Shrimpzilla!" Frank appeared behind them, quickly followed by the other three. Frank ran to Hazel. The ship tipped heavily to starboard, nearly sending Annabeth, Piper and Jason overboard.

The monster considered them. Its head was that of a catfish, slimy pink, glassy-eyed. A gaping toothless maw, a forest of tentacles sprouting from each nostril. Louisa sighed.

"I hate my life."

"Depression later." Percy drew his sword, expression grim. Louisa winced as her mind pinged at her. She could sense this monster in the water now, but it just made her headache worse. It was easily two hundred feet long, coiling around and below the ship.

Leo raced past them, hands flying over the helm. Coach was yelling at him, arms flailing. The ship wasn't in danger of sinking yet, but the hull was slowly filling with water. Louisa could feel it pooling under her feet, two levels down. The monster was too close to use the ballistae, lest they wanted to set the ship on fire too.

"How'd it get so close?" Annabeth demanded.

"I don't know!" Hedge shook his head, scanning frantically for his bat.

"I'm stupid!" Leo chided himself. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!" The ship titled to starboard, the monster growled.

"_Sonar_? Pan's Pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Hazel's eyes, holding hands for so long-"

"_What_?" Frank exclaimed.

"It wasn't like that!" Hazel insisted.

"It doesn't matter!" Piper cut across. "Jason, can you call some lightning?" Jason struggled to his feet, only managing a head shake.

"Percy, Lou, can you _talk_ to that thing? Do you know what it wants?" Percy, mystified, shook his head. Louisa frowned up at the beast, flipping the bird at it. Annabeth sighed.

"Maybe it's just curious about the ship," Percy said, "maybe-" He didn't get to say much more. The monster's tendrils lashed across the deck so fast, they didn't even have a chance to react. Percy was hit in the chest, disappearing down the steps. Another looped around Piper's legs, dragging her, screaming, towards the rail. Frank was struck, disappearing over the edge.

"Frank!"

"Piper!"

"Nose hair attack!" Coach bellowed, finally finding his bat. He hit at one of the tendrils, his attacks bouncing off harmlessly. Jason staggered after Piper, desperately slashing at never-ending nose hairs.

Louisa's heart drummed in her ears. Her brother hadn't come back up. Frank, where was Frank? Piper was screaming, Jason was calling for her. Annabeth was stabbing at and stomping on the tendrils. Leo was working the helm, near tears and muttering insults to himself. Tingles wound down her arms, flooding in her fingers. She faced the monster, stubbornness slowly setting in her jaw. She planted her right foot two steps back, squaring her shoulders. A tug in her gut, her vision sharpened. The tendrils froze. Slowly bringing her hands up, the tendrils began to ping away from any purchase they had on the ship, one by one. She turned her hands, palms facing the monster. It shrieked, twitching and head tipping back. Nose hairs contorted, snapping at odd angles, jerking violently, but not hurting anyone.

"Yes, Lou!" Jason grinned, scrambling to Piper's side. The pain in her gut was spreading into her legs and chest, her head pounded relentlessly. Her arms shook, but she persisted.

"Nearly there, cupcake!" Coach beamed. Something warm spilled onto her lip, she blinked away tears of exhaustion. The creature screamed. Annabeth looked from it to Louisa, brow furrowing. The others were smiling, they thought she was ordering it back, they were getting an advantage.

Louisa gritted her teeth, dark shadows swimming at the edges of her vision. She blinked, but when she opened her eyes, she wasn't looking at the ship or the monster or her friends. All she could see was inky blackness. It was cold and musty-smelling. A shimmering figure snapped to existence a few feet in front of her.

Keto half-turned, smiling over her shoulder at her.

"I under-estimated you, daughter of Poseidon." She raised her hand, smiling chilling. "It won't happen again." She snapped her fingers. White hot agony erupted through Louisa's head. It scorched through her body, tearing a scream from her throat. All around her, chaos ensued. Tendrils rained down on the deck. Piper tackled Jason to avoid getting hit. Coach yelled defiantly, swinging his bat wildly. Annabeth was ducking and weaving, trying to get to Louisa. Leo and Hazel were scooped up. Louisa's knees hit the deck, her hands fell. Everything blazed green and she slumped, out cold before her head hit the floor.

* * *

Annabeth took charge. Piper carried Louisa below deck. Annabeth, Hedge and Buford rushed around doing repairs. They weren't going to sink now, but they needed Leo. Percy, despite his exhaustion, had dived, searching for their missing friends. Jason, also exhausted, was flying about putting out fires. Leo's trick with the Greek Fire had been a calculated risk, but Shrimpzilla- the Skolopendra- hadn't resurfaced. But neither had they.

Piper sat with Louisa in the medical bay, clutching her knife. She willed it to show her Leo, Frank and Hazel. All she got was a trio of black SUVs driving north from Charleston, each one packed with Romans. Reyna drove the lead car. Giant eagles escorted them from above. Every so often, glowing purple spirits in ghostly chariots fell in behind them, racing up the I-95 to New York. To Camp Half Blood. Louisa mumbled, grimacing. Piper glanced up, but her words were random and slurred. Disjointed comments- "Keto… save ship… Nico…"

Piper looked back at her knife, trying again to find their missing friends. She saw the human-headed bull rising from the water. The dark well-shaped room filling with black water as she, Jason and Percy struggled to stay afloat. "Leo…" Louisa shook her head. "Sorry, no stop…"

"Hey." Piper startled. Annabeth stood there, smiling. Her eyes were grim, narrowing slightly as she looked at Louisa. "You OK?" Annabeth asked. She saw the knife in Piper's hand, expression softening with worry. "Anything?"

"The Romans are going to Camp."

"We need to warn them." Annabeth moved past them, towards the sink. She fiddled with the nozzle, summoning a fine spray of mist. With a prism and a nearby light, she made a rainbow. Piper got up, sheathing her knife. Annabeth drew a drachma from her pocket. "Iris, accept my offering. Please show us Chiron of Camp Half Blood." She flipped the coin at the rainbow. The mist rippled. Chiron seemed surprised to see them.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Not really. You need to get ready. The Romans are on their way." Annabeth began explaining with their Fort Sumter ordeal, including her exchange with Reyna. Piper relayed the vision in her knife. Chiron seemed to age as they talked.

"Well, we will prepare our defences. Rest assured, Tyson, Ella and Mrs O'Leary arrived safely. Rachel and Ella are comparing prophecies. Perhaps Tyson can summon an army of Cyclopes to our aid." Chiron looked to Annabeth. Piper was sure they could speak telepathically.

"I'm going to head upstairs, see if there's anything I can do." She said, sensing they needed to talk alone. Jason and Percy were sat on the deck, scoffing down muffins. Dark circles weighed down their eyes, but they were angry, grumbling to each other. "You two OK?"

"Fires are out." Jason muttered. "Coach is, uh…" They pointed. Coach was pacing along starboard, swinging his bat, practising his high kicks and punches.

"We'll get back to searching in a bit." Percy told her, shoulders slumped. "How's Lou?"

"Sleeping. She keeps talking to herself, but none of it makes any sense."

"That was really impressive, how she ordered the Skolopendra back." Jason nodded at Percy.

"The what?"

"Shrimpzilla."

"Why didn't you just say that?"

"Oh, boys." Piper shook her head. Percy polished off the last of his muffin, dusting his hands down. He put a hand on Jason's head, pushing himself up, ignoring Jason's disgruntled frown.

"Wait." Percy stopped at the rail. "Something's coming."

"What?" Piper and Jason were at his side in an instant. Three giant pink bubbles broke the surface, dispensing the missing trio. Piper squealed, diving over the edge before the boys could even blink. She swam straight out to Leo, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. Leo laughed.

"Aw, did you miss me?"

"_Where have you been_?" She demanded, ready to throttle him.

"I'll explain in a bit." A picnic hamper bobbed up next to him and he smiled. "Care for a brownie?"


	14. Chapter 14

Leo fussed over the controls, as Frank and Hazel explained. They had cleaned up, changed into dry clothes. Poor Frank had to borrow a pair of too-small jeans from Jason. They sat on the floor as Hazel told them about the fish centaurs, Frank described their training camp, passing the brownie basket round.

"Incredible," Jason said, "these are _really_ good brownies."

"That's your only comment?" Piper half-laughed.

"What?" Jason asked, surprised. "I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies-"

"I know!" Frank agreed around his mouthful. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

That's is _incredibly_ disgusting." Hazel wrinkled her nose. Jason held his hand out.

"Pass the jar, man." Piper and Hazel look at each, _ugh, boys_. Percy was inspecting a brownie.

"But they didn't want to meet me?" He asked.

"It wasn't that," Hazel shook her head, "just… undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is that they'll take care of the aquarium. And help protect the Argo Two across the Atlantic." Percy nodded absently.

"But they didn't want to meet me?" Annabeth hit his arm.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, we've got other things to worry about."

"She's right. After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we _have_ to rescue him."

"We should reach the Mediterranean by tomorrow morning." Leo said, chewing thoughtfully. "And then spend the rest of the day sailing to Rome. Or _flying_, if I can get the stabiliser fixed by then." Jason frowned.

"That'll put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico; less than twenty-four hours."

"We'll do it." Percy nodded, crossing his legs. "There's the Mark of Athena too." Annabeth sighed. She rummaged in her bag, retrieving a bronze disc.

"What the-? It's blank!" Percy took it from her, examining both sides.

"It wasn't like this earlier?"

"No, I was looking at it in my cabin and… it must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone."

"What did it have on it?" Frank asked. "And what _is_ the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it." Annabeth took the disc back.

"The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts… the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."

"Maybe that's where you meet the river god, Tiberinus." Percy said quietly. "But what _is_ the Mark?"

"A coin." Annabeth replied. She passed around a small silver coin. "It's an Athenian coin."

"An owl," Leo remarked, "that makes sense. Is that an olive branch? And what's this inscription?"

"It's alpha, theta, epsilon. In Greek, it stands for 'of the Athenians'… or you could read it as the 'children of Athena'. It's sort of an Athenian motto."

"Like SPQR, for the Romans." Piper guessed. Annabeth nodded.

"Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter." She took a breath, slowly explaining the voice of Gaia she heard in the garrison, the swarm of spiders. Her hands shook at this point, "the Mark burned them away." Percy took her hand.

"I should've been there for you."

"But that's the point, _no one_ can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to… to the source." Frank took the coin.

"Giant's bane stands gold and pale," he said, "won through pain from a woven jail. What is it, this thing at the source?" Jason spoke up before Annabeth could.

"A statue. Of Athena. At least… that's my guess."

"I thought you said you didn't know." Percy frowned.

"I _don't_. But… the more I think about it… there's only one artefact that could fit that legend." He looked to Annabeth sadly. "I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier. Honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true-"

"I know. I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Roman together… Don't you see? It could heal the rift."

"Hold on," Percy made a T with his hands, "what statue?" The coin made its way back to Annabeth, she twisted it nervously in her fingers before sliding it in her pocket.

"The Athena Parthenos. The most famous Greek statue of all time. Forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens." Silence fell over them, except for the gentle rolling of waves on the hull.

"OK, I'll bite." Leo said. "What happened to it?"

"It disappeared."

"_How_?"

"Good question. One of the biggest mysteries in history. Some thought it was melted down for gold or destroyed by invaders. Some thought it was carried off-"

"By Romans." Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory. And it fits the one I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted it off when they took over Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine and swore it would never see the light of day. They literally _stole_ Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."

"And her children have been searching for it ever since." Annabeth continued. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by Athena. They're given a coin, like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena, a magical trail that links them to the statue, hoping to find it and get it back."

"So," Percy began slowly, "even if you did find the statue, what would we do with it? Could we even _move _it?"

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted, "but if we could save it, somehow, it could unite the camps. Maybe heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And… and maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."

"It could change everything." Piper said, worriedly watching her friend. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. Might be the key to defeating Gaia. But if we can't help you…"

"I have to succeed. The risk is worth it."

"I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone," Hazel said, nervously twirling her hair around her finger, "but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created-"

"It could kick some serious booty." Leo offered.

"Not _quite_ how I would put it, but yes."

"Except," Percy took Annabeth's hand again, "no child of Athena has _ever_ found it. Annabeth, what's _down_ there? What's guarding it? If it's got do with spiders-?"

"Won through pain from a woven jail." Frank repeated. "Woven, like webs?" Annabeth paled, holding back a wave of panic and terror.

"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper suggested, tipping a little charmspeak into her voice to sooth the blonde. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty too, you'll see."

"Yeah," Percy said, looking relieved, "I learned a long time ago: _never_ bet against Annabeth."

"Well," Leo said after a moment of tentative unease, "good pep rally! But there's still a ton of things fix before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your super fun list of chores!"

* * *

Leo was there when Louisa woke up. He was pacing the medical bay, examining Piper and Jason's work of tidying up. So far so good.

"Leo?"

"Lou!" He beamed. "There's my favourite monster-wrangler!" He rushed to her side, gripping her hand excitedly. "You need anything?" She gave the slightest shake of her head, trying to sit up and instantly regretting that decision. White hot rods seemed to have fused to her spine. She came close to blacking out again. Leo panicked, making her lie back down. She wasn't allowed any more nectar, Piper had risked the limit already.

"Ow…" She winced. "W-what happened?"

"I forgot to switch to sonar and we got attacked by Shrimpzilla. You were doing some cool daughter of Poseidon stuff and were, like, mentally pushing it off the ship. Then you got a nosebleed. And then you started screaming. And then it started attacking again and picked me and Hazel up and I set it on fire, like _boom_! Greek Fire indigestion! And then we met fish-horse-men!" He launched into an explanation. Louisa struggled to focus on his words as he crammed as many as he could into a second, but she got the gist of the story. "And I saved you some brownies, because they're _the best thing_ I have _ever_ tasted." He pulled a small bundle of napkins from his belt, unwrapping and proudly showing off the brownies. She made no move to take one, grimacing. "It's OK, you can have them later. They're quite good with those peach preserves, as long as Jason and Frank haven't eaten them all." He re-wrapped the brownies and tucked them back into his tool belt.

The door burst open behind them and Percy appeared, beaming with relief.

"Are you OK?" He implored, pushing her hair back from her forehead. Green light spilled from his fingertips and her grimace eased a fraction. Movement in Leo's peripheral. Annabeth stood in the doorway, arms folded. The look on her face made Leo want to jump back into the ocean, and it wasn't even aimed at him. He looked to Louisa, wincing sympathetically. Louisa was in _trouble_.

"If you two don't mind," she said stiffly, "I need to talk to Louisa."

"She just woke up, can't it wait?" Leo tried. Annabeth glared. Leo gave a brave squeak. Percy motioned to him and they left. Annabeth closed the door behind them, taking Leo's seat a moment later. Louisa glared back at her.

"What did you do to that monster?"

"I was tryin' ta get it off the ship."

"Yes, but what did you _do_ to it?"

"I don't know-"

"Don't." Annabeth snapped, shaking her head. She tucked her hands between her knees to conceal their furious trembling. "You were controlling it, weren't you? Physically. You weren't _communicating_ with it."

"Next time I'll write a letter." Louisa grumbled.

"How long?"

"I dunno, half a page?"

"No, _no_. How long have you been able to do that? What is _that_ exactly?" Louisa stayed quiet, frowning up at the ceiling. Annabeth sighed. "Can Percy do that?"

"It's there, but I doubt he will. He's… not like me."

"Was it… was it blood?" Annabeth asked quietly. Louisa didn't answer straight away, engrossed in the ceiling.

"Yeah." She eventually said.

"How did you figure it out?"

"No. Not now."

"Does Percy know?"

"No."

"Does anyone?"

"You."

"Jessica?"

"No."

"Don't do it again."

"I was tryin' ta help."

"You may see it that way," Annabeth stood, "but it's just as monstrous as Gaia." She left, slamming the door behind her. Louisa sighed, closing her eyes. A minute later, the door opened again.

"Is it safe?" Leo asked. Louisa squinted at him. "What, you grounded?" He grinned lopsidedly. When she looked away, scowling, Leo edged in. "Hey, you OK?"

"I'm fine. Just tired."

"Get some rest." Leo smiled. There was a thud overhead and he sighed. "I'm going to make sure Coach hasn't sabotaged anything."


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, they were all rudely awoken by a different ship horn. Louisa put her pillow over her head, grumbling. Her first thought was that Leo had set up some prank and if that really was the case, he was going to die choking on pillow feathers. When the horn sounded the second time, she realised Percy was up, buckling himself into his armour. Louisa groaned, rolling out of her bed, sliding her watch from the bedside table. She followed Percy at a slightly slower pace, blinking sleep from her eyes and squinting at the morning light as she tightened her watch strap.

It amused her somewhat to see everyone had rushed to the deck in some combination of pyjamas and armour. Leo had accidentally set himself on fire, Frank's shirt was inside out, Hazel's hair had blown to one side like she had walked through a cyclone. And, of course, there was Percy, in his pyjama bottoms and bronze breastplate. Louisa wore an old T-shirt and her super classy Perry the Platypus pyjama bottoms.

A hundred yards to port, a cruise ship glided past. The tourists aboard were waving, taking pictures. Percy had to grab Louisa's hand to stop her sinking it.

"It's too early ta deal with idiots."

"It's too early to deal with you."

Leo waved back, grinning. He started pulling faces at them, but if the tourists noticed that or the small assembly of teenagers in pyjamas and armour, or even the fact they were waving at a Greek trireme, they hardly blinked an eye. They just kept waving. Louisa started making rude hand gestures, summoned her bow. Percy steered her away, rubbing tiresomely at his face with his other hand.

The cruise ship sailed past. People were still waving. With it out of the way, however, they saw something rather interesting. Half a mile to the north, a mountain jutted from the waves. Blinding white rock thrust into the sky, limestone cliffs on one side, boasting drops of a thousand feet. The other side of the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said, amazed, "at the tip of Spain." She turned to point south, at a distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

"What now?" Piper asked. "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo shrugged. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time." Not necessarily boats humming with demigods, but no-one said that aloud. Annabeth gazed at the Rock of Gibraltar, anticipating trouble.

"In the old days, they called this area the Pillars of Hercules."

"Hercules, huh?" Percy made a face. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece."

"So, these Pillars," Piper said carefully, "are they dangerous?"

"For Greeks, they marked the end of the known world." Annabeth said. "The Romans said they were inscribed with a Latin warning-"

"Non plus ultra." Percy said.

"Y-yeah," Annabeth marvelled at him, "nothing further beyond. How did you know?"

"Because I'm looking at it." Percy pointed. In the middle of the straits, an island shimmered into existence- a small hilly mass of land covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Jutting from the waves a hundred yards from the shore were two white Grecian columns, as tall as the Argo's mast. Between them, huge silver words glittered underwater: NON PLUS ULTRA.

"Do I turn around or-?" Leo glanced at them nervously. No one answered. They were all staring at a figure standing on the beach, a dark-haired man in purple, his arms folded, as if waiting for them. Frank inhaled sharply.

"Is that-?"

"Hercules." Jason confirmed. "The most powerful demigod of all time."

"Challenge accepted." Louisa said, sword in hand. The Argo was only less than a hundred metres away.

"Need an answer," Leo said, "I can turn or we can take off. The stabilisers are working again. But I need to know quick-"

"We have to keep going." Annabeth said. "He's guarding these straits. If that really is Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."

"Won't he be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean, he's one of us, right?"

"He _was_ a son of Zeus," Jason agreed, "but became a god when he died. You can never be sure with gods."

"Great." Percy sighed. "Eight of us against Hercules."

"And a satyr!" Hedge added indignantly. "We can take him!"

"Yes we can." Louisa agreed. "Let's go!" Annabeth held her hands up, stopping them both.

"We send ambassadors," she said, "two at most. Try to talk with him."

"Ugh, borin'."

"I'll go." Jason offered. "He's a son of Zeus, I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly with me."

"Or he'll hate you." Percy pointed out. "Half-brothers don't always get along."

"Yeah," Louisa nodded, "Triton hates me."

"Thank you, Twins of Optimism." Jason deadpanned.

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said, waving at the twins to shush, "at least Jason and Hercules will have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Someone who's good with words." Everyone looked to Piper, who looked ready to scream and jump overboard.

"I'm good with words." Louisa said.

"No, you're good with swords." Leo shook his head.

"One letter difference, leave off."

"No, it's OK." Piper took a breath. "Just let me change my clothes."

* * *

Leo anchored them between the Pillars. Jason tucked his arm around Piper's waist and flew them down. Percy and Annabeth had the fun task of keeping Louisa on board; she was adamant she could take Hercules in a fight. "See how powerful he really is!"

"No, Lou."

"Oh, please! Just gimme five minutes 'n' I'll come back."

"_No_, Lou." Percy laughed. Hazel popped up, tucking her hand through Louisa's arm.

"Why don't you come and spar with us?" She motioned to herself and Frank. "We could do with a warm-up."

"A _warm-up_?" Louisa glared at them, offended.

"Yes, a warm-up." Hazel smiled sweetly.

"Prepare to burn, bitch."

"Don't literally burn!" Leo called from the helm. "Don't burn my ship!" Louisa stalked off with Hazel, who seemed rather chipper at the prospect of burning. She kept teasing Louisa, laughing and smiling. Frank was waiting for them, an uneasy smile-that-looked-more-like-a-grimace on his face. His eyes kept darting to Hazel like _please shut up, burning it not good for me. _

"She's mental." Percy remarked once she was out of earshot.

"She's _your_ sister."

"I'm aware. Doesn't make her any less mental though." He glanced back down at the beach. Piper and Jason were talking to Hercules. "I wonder if he's anything like the Disney film."

"I highly doubt that." Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "They didn't exactly do Hera's character… justice." She finished carefully. Percy laughed.

"Can't argue with that."

* * *

Louisa joined Leo at lunchtime, seemingly rather proud of herself.

"Are Frank and Hazel still alive?" He smiled.

"Yeah, but I don't think they're very happy." She cracked her knuckles, a wicked, victorious grin making Leo's heart skip a beat. Her hair was a little damp from her shower, he could smell her shampoo- something coconutty. "How much longer d'ya think they'll be?" She nodded at the island.

"Don't know, hopefully not much longer." He tipped his head to the side. "Wonder what they've got to do."

"Probably somethin' stupid."

"Probably." Leo considered the horizon, drumming his fingers on the control panel restlessly. "I'm bored."

"Yep. Can I teach ya ta sword fight?"

"No, no. You'll stab me."

"I promise, I'll try not to."

"That's reassuring, but no thank you."

"Oh, come on. Just ten minutes."

"No, that's like twelve more minutes than you need to kill me."

"I'm not gonna kill you." Louisa laughed. Leo hummed dubiously, shaking his head. "Suit yaself."

"I will." Leo blew a raspberry at her, getting elbowed in the ribs for it. Percy came in, humming to himself. He handed them both a cheeseburger wrapped in napkins, munching on one of his own. "Thanks, dude." Leo said. "You could've taken the gherkins out though."

"Ew, what's wrong with you?" Percy pressed down on Leo's head, half-ruffling his hair, half-squishing his head. Leo flicked the gherkins at him, one by one. Percy stared him down until the gherkins ran out. Louisa snickered. Leo bit into his burger, smiling innocently. Percy raised a brow at his sister, wiping the gherkins from his face and shirt. Louisa just shrugged. "I'm bored."

"Same." The other two chorused. Percy polished off the last of his burger. "Where's Blondie?" Louisa asked.

"In her cabin. She's… busy." He sighed. "You know how she gets, Lou, I told her my hair was on fire, and she says that's nice. Maybe later."

"If it makes you feel better, I can set your hair on fire for real."

"Thanks, Leo, but I don't think it'll help."

"Worth a try. I've got some firecrackers, want to scare Coach?"

"_Yes_."

* * *

**I've been catching up on Trials of Apollo. Someone spoiled it for me, but I was not expecting _that_. **


	16. Chapter 16

**To Guest- yes, she's a _little bit_ crazy! :D**

* * *

The sun was setting when Piper and Jason returned. Piper was holding a large horn, both of them looked hot and bothered. Leo was watching through binoculars. Coach Hedge had _not_ appreciated the firecrackers outside his bedroom door and it had taken nearly an hour of screaming and dodging bat-attacks to calm him down. And it didn't help that Louisa spent most of that time in absolutely hysterical laughter, Percy was no better. Frank and Hazel steered well clear, Annabeth didn't even come out of her cabin to see what all the ruckus was about.

Leo was now sitting on Festus's head, watching the island through his binoculars. Coach hadn't found him yet. He was currently chasing Louisa. "GET BACK HERE!" He raged, bat over his head. Louisa cackled, hopping about, somersaulting, climbing on things and bouncing around. Percy had disappeared.

"Hey!" Leo called, watching Piper and Jason. "HEY!" He called again, half-turning at the waist to look back. Louisa ran straight at Coach, laughing. He swung his bat and she vaulted over his head, like she was playing leapfrog. Leo sighed.

"Hey, they're back!" Frank's voice came. Leo mimicked him, looking back down at their friends. Piper and Jason seemed to now be arguing with Hercules. When Jason drew his sword, Leo patted Festus on the head and hopped back onto the deck.

"Valdez, where've ya been?" Louisa beamed at him. Leo's hands flew over the controls, getting the ship ready to launch. The others were at the rail now, watching as Piper aimed her new horn at Hercules. A torrent of fresh fruit, baked goods and smoked hams slammed into Hercules. He quickly disappeared under the stream of food. Jason grabbed Piper around the waist and flew back up to the ship. Leo gunned the engine and the ship started to rise.

Jason summoned the wind to push them into the sky. Hercules struggled out of the pile, half a coconut on his head, lobbing more coconuts at the hull. Percy pulled up a ten foot wave to knock him down a second time. Louisa nocked an arrow.

"You suck!" She yelled, firing. The arrowhead splintered into a dozen smaller bolts, each one vanishing into the food pile. Explosions ricocheted, flinging fruit and ham in all directions.

* * *

They flew into the Mare Nostrum with no more trouble from Hercules. But they had fun elsewhere- attacks flooded them several times an hour. Flesh-eating Stymphalian birds screeched at them, Louisa shot two and then Festus scorched the rest. Storm spirits swirled around the sails, tearing at their hair and clothes. Jason blasted them with lightning. Louisa's personal favourite was the wild Pegasus that flew down solely to tramp over Coach's enchiladas, zipping away with a wicked neigh.

"It's not _funny_!" The satyr fumed.

"Sorry, sorry."

"No you're not."

"No, I'm not." She cackled. "Aw, Coach!"

"Go to bed, you horrible child. I need a few hours away from you."

"You love me really."

"No, you give me a migraine and satyrs can't even _get_ migraines."

"You can crash too," Jason told Percy, "I'll keep blasting stuff as long as I can. And you should probably take Lou before Coach smashes her head in with his bat." Percy nodded. He took Louisa by the arm; she was blowing raspberries at Coach as her brother dragged her away.

Percy crashed almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Louisa flopped backwards onto her bunk, but did not have the luxury her brother did of immediate sleep. The boat rocked and groaned as the wind spirits plagued them once more. She frowned at the ceiling, biting her thumbnail. When Percy started muttering incoherently, she knew sleep was even further off. She slowly turned her head to glare at him, sighing at his grimace.

"I swear, if ya havin' a nightmare, I'm gonna suffocate you." Of course, he didn't answer.

She must have dozed off at some point, as she woke to Percy shaking her shoulder. He looked pale, not meeting her gaze.

"Jason says we've set down in the water, it's our turn now."

"Ooh, yay." Percy pulled on her arm when she didn't move. Louisa didn't comply, so he just picked her up and carried her out to deck. He unceremoniously dumped her next to Leo at the helm and wandered off to find Annabeth. "Well, that was uncalled for." Louisa muttered. Leo offered his hand, helping her up with a laugh.

"I take it nap time was cancelled then?"

"Very rudely." She agreed, groaning. "You look like shit, Valdez, go ta bed."

"No, no. I don't want any more Shrimpzilla surprises."

"Oh, come on, Valdez, we've been over this with ya. It weren't ya fault."

"I forgot to turn the sonar on, Lou-"

"Me 'n' Percy are _literal_ walkin' sonars, we didn't feel it comin' either."

"Yeah, but you guys were wiped, you and Jason had made that big storm at the Fort and-"

"'N' you had been hurt at the Fort when Coach shot ya'll out the sky 'n' then came back here ta steer the ship 'n'-"

"Lou."

"What?"

"Shut up." He said it with such resignation, she didn't even feel the need to react angrily to being shushed. Dark shadows circled his bloodshot eyes, his hair didn't seem as curly as usual, his clothes were two days old. Louisa saw the sandwich she had brought up for him before she went to bed hadn't been touched.

"If… if it makes ya feel better," she leant on the console, "my sonar's back up 'n' runnin'."

"What, you saying your sonar is better than mine?"

"Mine's a natural gift, fire boy. Can't beat that."

"Is that a challenge?" A small smile lit his eyes, but didn't touch his lips. Louisa elbowed him, looking ahead. Fog had settled in while she had been asleep, so thick, she couldn't see Festus. The ship bounced and slid on twenty foot swells, the sea heaving underneath them. It was great for her, she was energised by the chaotic restlessness of it and _loved_ it. Hazel down in her cabin didn't, also heaving. "So, Miss Sonar, anything to report?"

"No rocks, no sandbars. No natural dangers." She waggled her fingers. "Strange question, might just be me- but does the sea feel different to you?"

"Feels angrier. Why?" Louisa glanced back. Her brother and Annabeth were talking by the railings. Percy's shoulders were tense, so she decided against asking him. "You OK?" Leo asked. "Please tell me we're not lost."

"No, no. We're… we're not far from the Italian coast."

"Oh, cool." Ice washed over Louisa's skin.

"Stop."

"What?"

"Stop!" The twins both yelled at Leo, Louisa lunged for the controls, but it was too late. The other boat appeared from the fog, ramming into them head-on. It was another trireme with black sails painted with a gorgon's head. Hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armour, armed. A bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the Argo. Leo stumbled back, arms flailing. Louisa grabbed him around the waist, twisting as they fell, cushioning his fall. "You OK?" Leo nodded. Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming into the sea.

Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and mast, iron claws digging into the hull's planks. Leo and Louisa scrambled to their feet, she summoned her sword. Leo rang the alarm bell as human-like dolphins, or dolphin-like humans, swarmed around them.

Leo made a dash for the nearest ballistae, but he disappeared under a pile of chattering dolphins. "Leo!" Louisa dived in, sword raised.

"Lou!" Percy tried summoning the waves to push the ships apart. Nothing happened. Panic boiled in his chest- why wasn't it working? He tried again, but it was like something was wresting the sea from his control. He raised Riptide, standing shoulder to shoulder with Annabeth. They were hopelessly outnumbered. The dolphin creatures kept him and Annabeth contained. More flooded below deck, breaking down cabin doors. Leo and Louisa made an appearance- he was half-conscious. She was fighting and swearing in the hold of half a dozen of the dolphin-men, her lip bleeding, bruises on her cheek and forehead. Her sword was gone. Percy could sense her trying to use her powers. Judging by how much she was swearing, she was having the same problem he was.

They dropped Leo on a pile of rope, tipping him off as they pulled on the rope to tie Louisa up. Within seconds, they had her completely immobilised, a cocoon of rope around her torso, strapping her arms to her sides. They tied her lower legs together, looped an end of the rope to the rail for extra measure. One dragged Leo by the arm, letting him fall next to her, unmoving.

The dolphins in front of Percy and Annabeth parted to let someone through. He was dressed in Greek combat armour- sandals, kilt, greaves and a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea-monster designs. Except, everything was gold. Even his Greek sword, solid gold. His helmet had a full-face mask, fashioned in the liking of a gorgon's head, with curved tasks and horrible features pinched into a snarl. Golden snake hair curled around his face. "Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than Percy could follow, he smacked Riptide from Percy's hand. The blade went up over end, disappearing into the ocean. Percy's felt like his lungs had gone with it.

"Hello, brother." The golden warrior said. His rich, velvety voice had an exotic accent- Middle Eastern, maybe?- a small part of Percy's brain found it familiar. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon."

"Fuck you!" Louisa screamed, straining against her bindings. The golden warrior sighed under his mask, considering her over his shoulder.

"Sisters are so volatile," he said, disappointed, "it's pathetic." Louisa twisted, glowering at him.

"Fight me, you _bastard_, I'll show you who's _really_ pathetic!"

"Not worth my time, little girl." He waved her away dismissively, looking back at Percy. Louisa swore some more, struggling and cursing. "To answer you questions, Percy Jackson, I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want…" He turned his metal mask towards Annabeth. "Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."


	17. Chapter 17

**To Guest- have you read the books?**

**And special thanks to ! "Enjoy crumpets, asshole!" ^_^ **

* * *

The dolphin-men ransacked the ship. Louisa was desperately trying to wriggle free, talking to Leo the entire time, sometimes firing insults as Chrysaor. "Leo, stay awake, I'm gonna kick his ass, FIGHT ME, YOU DICK! Leo, stay _awake_!"

One of the dolphin creatures brought up a box of ambrosia. Another arrived with its arms full with ballista bolts and Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth chided. "It'll blow up both ships!"

"Ha!" Chrysaor scoffed. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for aeons!"

"Your accent sounds familiar." Percy said before Annabeth could reply. "Have we met?"

"I haven't had the pleasure. But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson." _Well, that's unsurprising_, Percy thought. "Oh yes, the young man that saved Olympus. And his faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase."

"I'm nobody's sidekick! Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey." Percy frowned.

"I'm pretty sure that accent isn't New Jersey. Who's his-? Oh." It clicked. "Medusa. _Medusa_ is your mom? Dude, that sucks for you." Growling came from beneath the mask, Percy figured he was snarling under their too.

"You are as arrogant as the _first_ Perseus. But yes, Percy Jackson, Poseidon is my father, Medusa my mother. After that so-called goddess of wisdom changed her into a monster, Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head-"

"Two children sprang out." Annabeth remembered. "Pegasus and you."

"So… your brother is a winged horse. But you're also my half-brother," Percy winced, "which means all the flying horses in the world are my… you know what? Nevermind. Lou and Tyson are weird enough for me, that's as far as I'm going."

Louisa threw her weight forward, her ponytail falling over her shoulder. The rail creaked behind her. She pushed her feet into the floor, but with them bound together, it was hard to keep her balance. She fell to her knees again, swearing under her breath. She squared her shoulders, straining to extend her arms. Leo closed his eyes.

"Leo!" She snapped. Leo stirred, blearily looking at her. "Stay awake, Valdez, keep ya eyes open." He mumbled incoherently, blinking and grimacing. Louisa pushed her elbows against the rope. She just needed an arm free, she could steal a sword, cut herself free… her own sword was in the hand- the flipper?- of a dolphin creature ten feet away. "Open your eyes, Leo!" He groaned in response, fingers twitching.

A disturbance on the stairs. Coach was being carried up, and he wasn't happy about it. He was kicking his captor in the head and chest, a number of hoof-shaped dents already there.

"Let me go, you tuna fish!"

"Ah, a satyr." Chrysaor said bemusedly. "A little old and stringy, but the Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."

"I'm nobody's goat meat!"

"Gag him as well." Chrysaor turned away. Louisa had doubled over, still trying to escape. "It's no good, sister. You have no power against me."

"You wish." She smirked at him, fury blazing in her eyes. Her arm jolted. Dolphins swarmed her at once, chattering angrily. They tightened her ropes, added a few more layers, a few more trailing all along the rail, to the mast. This didn't stop her from trying. Chrysaor snapped his fingers and pointed at Leo. A dozen spears were aimed at his head and chest.

"Calm yourself, sister, or we'll see what your boyfriend looks like without a head." Louisa froze. Her gaze lingered on Leo for a moment, then glared round at them as if she couldn't decide who to kill first.

"You can't do this!" Annabeth protested. Chrysaor laughed at her.

"I can do anything I want. My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cut-throat-"

"Dolphins." Percy finished for him.

"Yes, so? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got _completely_ turned into dolphins. Others went mad. But these… these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!" One of the warriors chattered nervously at him. "Yes, yes, they fear _one_ thing. But it hardly matters, he's not here." Percy had a light-bulb moment.

Before he could do anything, however, more dolphins climbed the stairs. Jason was unconscious, bruises on his face. Hazel and Piper were bound at the hands and feet, Piper was gagged. Some more dolphins trudged up behind them, their faces covered in bee stings. Frank was nowhere to be seen.

Louisa saw her guards watching the newcomers, launching herself sideways. She couldn't get far, but far enough to crash into the legs-tail fusion of the nearest guard. He squeaked, toppling into one of his buddies. A third came at her, sword raised.

"No!" Chrysaor roared, but the dolphin swung down. Louisa twisted and the sword missed her, severing the ropes around her arms. She grinned wickedly. The dolphin backed up. She got her arm free, sticking her middle finger up at Chrysaor. "Restrain her!" He ordered furiously. She ripped the ropes off her other arm, raring to go. Then she remembered her legs were still bound. A dolphin to her right chattered warningly, the point of his sword- _Louisa's_ sword- resting on Leo's throat.

Her vision tunnelled. A dolphin came closer to her to tie her back up. She wrestled the sword from his grip, punched him in the snout. She slashed the ropes from her legs and lunged. The dolphin with her sword lost his arm just below the shoulder. It screamed, clawing at the gush of blood. She snatched up her blade, kicked the creature away. She stood over Leo, a sword in each hand, fuming.

Chrysaor considered her for a moment. Then sighed. "Fine." He motioned for his men to back down, readying his sword. "Give it your best, sister." Louisa yelled defiantly, charging. A cold feeling settled in Percy's gut, but she wasn't going to listen to him. Her anger had reached new heights, he had never seen her dual wield. Chrysaor parried her right-hand strike, side-stepped a left-hand stab at his side. She screamed curses at him in Ancient Greek and Latin. Her blades flashed in tandem, then she used them separate to the other, flitting between each style quicker than a heartbeat.

For a moment, it seemed she was doing well. He ducked an attack at his head, but her blade sliced a snake from his helmet. Her stolen sword was rammed at his throat, but skittered harmlessly off his armour. He growled, she took a step forward, swinging both swords in an X across his chest. His sword deflected both. He swung wide, she lost a sword. Swearing, she made to stab him again. His free hand shot out, there was a nasty _crack_ of bone. Louisa cried out, her sword fell as her arm flopped uselessly to her side. She gritted her teeth, snarling, clenching her right fist. Chrysaor moved faster. His sword ran through her stomach, to the hilt. The point came through her back, dripping red. Louisa gasped, gripping his wrist.

"No!" Spears crossed in Percy's path, dolphin-creatures barricading him. Louisa coughed, blood on her chin. She was distantly aware of the others screaming, calling her name. Chrysaor chuckled bemusedly. He twisted the blade sharply, Louisa bowing slightly at the force.

"I underestimated you, sister." Chrysaor smiled, calmly prying her hand from his arm. "You did well." He wrenched the sword out on a spray of scarlet. "A shame you fight on the wrong side." Louisa looked him in the eye.

"Fuck… you…" She fell to her knees. Chrysaor put his foot on her shoulder, lazily pushing her over.

"Yes," he sighed, "a shame."


	18. Chapter 18

Leo was closest. He had managed to roll onto his front, desperately trying to push himself up. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Piper screamed against her gags, Hazel was crying in stunned silence. Jason, woken by the screaming, was pale, staring as blood pooled beneath her. Coach was yelling at Chrysaor from behind his gag, his tone challenging.

Chrysaor turned to consider them, closing his hand around his blade. His glove scraped against the metal as he ran it across his palm, he flicked the blood to one side.

"The boys are no use to me." He said. "But we have an understanding with Circe. She will buy the women, either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skills." He turned away, looking to Percy and Annabeth. "But not you, lovely Annabeth."

"You are _not_ taking me anywhere." Annabeth defied, fighting to keep the tremble from her voice. Percy had gone strangely still next to her. She was trying not to look at Louisa, she couldn't lose her nerve now.

Percy's hand snuck into his pocket. Despite numb fingers, he recognised Riptide's presence. His left arm was riddled with white hot pins and needles. A stabbing pain pulsed in his gut, refracting into his chest, making each breath burn like acid. He was staring at his sister. _Move_, he thought,_ just move, please move. _

He wanted to attack Chrysaor, rip off his stupid helmet, lop off his head like he had done with his mother all those years ago. But his legs wouldn't move. His body didn't respond, as if it knew his anger would do no good now. He frowned at the golden warrior. Wished he knew _something_ about his weaknesses.

"Oh, sadly Annabeth," Chrysaor shook his head, "you will not be staying with me. I would love that." Annabeth clenched her fists. "But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture- alive, if possible, though she didn't say unharmed." Piper chose that moment to cause the disturbance they needed. She wailed, fainting against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel cottoned on and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing. Heat flooded Percy's veins and he drew Riptide. He slashed at Chrysaor's neck, but the golden warrior was faster.

The dolphins backed up, guarding the captives. They created a circle around Percy and Chrysaor, chattering excitedly. Percy cut and slashed and stabbed and parried. He could see a dolphin with a knife at Annabeth's throat, making sure she didn't try anything tricky. He could see Leo leaning over Louisa, crying. He could see the pool of crimson soaking into the boards, too much crimson. Leo was desperately trying to cover the wounds with his hands, blood spilling between his fingers.

Percy felt woozy. His stomach hurt. His left arm burned. Chrysaor deflected and fought back with ease, Percy couldn't land a strike against him. He bit back a sob as a realisation hit him- over the years, his powers had grown and grown. But his swordplay hadn't. He was rusty, his sister was dying, his friends were in danger… Chrysaor laughed and disarmed him. Riptide toppled into the ocean once more.

"A valiant effort," he said, "but now you'll be chained and transported to Gaia's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess."

Nothing like total failure to generate good ideas. Surprise rippled through Percy, he actually remembered something useful. He was so used to Annabeth having the answers, and yet here was this idea, the final piece slotting into place.

He had to be quick. Nothing could happen to his friends. He couldn't lose Annabeth. He couldn't let Louisa die. He clenched his fists, imagining his energy flowing into her. He didn't know if it would work, but he didn't have time to check.

He saw Frank hiding behind a ballista, waiting. The big guy claimed to be useless and clumsy, but he always seemed to be in exactly the right place when Percy needed him.

"Fine!" Percy threw his hands up. "Take us away, if our captain will let you!"

"What captain?" Chrysaor demanded. "My men searched your ship, there is no-one else here." Percy spread his hands.

"The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods, doesn't he, Annabeth?"

"Yes!" Annabeth nodded enthusiastically. "Mr D! The great Dionysus!" Unease crashed through the dolphin crew. One dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor ordered. "There is no god on this ship! They are trying to scare you!"

"You should be scared!" Percy warned. "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage! He will punish all of us!" He pointed at Piper and Hazel. "Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness?" They had stopped their shaking fits, now staring at him blankly. At his glower, they played it up, trembling and flopping around like fish. Dolphin-men fell over themselves to get away.

"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared. "Shut up, Percy Jackson! Your camp director is not here! He was recalled to Olympus! This is common knowledge!"

"So you admit it!" Percy managed to grin. "Dionysus _is_ our director!"

"He _was_, everyone knows that!" Percy gestured at Chrysaor as if he had just betrayed himself.

"You see!" He exclaimed. "We're doomed! If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest." He stormed over to the magical cooler, risking a glance at his sister. He willed more energy her way, praying it was working. She groaned, Leo gasped with surprise, relief. Percy knocked the lid of the cooler open. He rummaged in the ice, listening to Leo talking quietly to Louisa, now bundling cloths on her wounds.

Percy's fingers closed around his reward- a red and silver can. He brandished it at the dolphins.

"Behold!" He shouted. "The god's chosen beverage! Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!" The dolphin-men fell into a panic, teetering on the edge of retreat, scrambling and shaking, squeaking in fear. "The god will take your ship!" Percy warned. "He will finish your transformations into dolphins! Or make you insane! Or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"

"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor shrieked. He wasn't sure where to level his sword, at his men or at Percy.

"Save yourselves!" Percy encouraged, waving the Coke can about. Dolphins reared away from it like a vampire from garlic. "It's too late for us!" Percy told them. He gasped and pointed at Frank. "Oh no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!" Frank blinked at him. "I _said_, Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!" Frank started, stumbling out from his hiding place.

"Oh no," he deadpanned, clutching at his throat, "I am turning into a crazy dolphin." He fell to the deck as a dolphin, tail thumping on the boards. The pirate crew disbanded, screaming in terror. They dropped weapons, captives forgotten. They ignored their captain, hurling themselves overboard. Annabeth charged into the confusion, cutting their friends free.

Within seconds, Chrysaor was alone and surrounded. Annabeth had her knife. Coach Hedge had his hooves. Those were their only weapons, but their murderous looks evidently convinced the golden warrior he was doomed. He backed to the edge of the rail.

"This isn't over, Jackson," he promised, "I will have my revenge, I'll-" Frank cut him off, changing into an eight-hundred pound grizzly bear. He sideswiped Chrysaor and raked the golden mask from his helmet. Chrysaor screeched, covering his face with his arms. He tumbled into the water. The Argo crew leaned over the rail, scanning the water for him or his crew.

Nothing.

"That was _brilliant_!" Annabeth clasped Percy's face in her hands, kissing him.

"It was desperate." Percy said quietly, gently freeing himself. He hurried to his sister's side, falling to his knees next to her. Leo had stayed with her, silent tears trekking down his cheeks. He looked pleadingly to Percy. His hands, lower arms, his shirt and jeans were soaked with blood.

"I can't… I can't…" He stammered. Percy's hands replaced his. Numbness rushed up his arms, curling through his mind. His wooziness multiplied, shadows flooding his vision. Green light spilled from his fingers. His vision ebbed back to clear as the injuries slowly sealed. Louisa moaned, stirring, but she didn't wake. A hand on Percy's shoulder and he looked up, seeing a familiar head of blonde curls. He blinked, tears splattering on his cheeks.

"Can you help her?" He asked, croaking. "I have to get rid of this pirate trireme."

* * *

It took longer than Percy wanted. His head was spinning wildly, he could feel Louisa's life force see-sawing. Annabeth and Piper had taken her below deck. Annabeth stayed with her, Piper came back to help the others recover their supplies and tidy up. Coach Hedge had a field day on the deck of the enemy ship, breaking everything he could with his bat. "Take _that_!" He yelled delightedly. "And that and that and _that_!"

Percy loaded the enemies' weapons back onto the pirate ship once Coach had finished. The storeroom was full of treasure.

"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold abroad." Hazel told him. "Not to mention, there's diamonds, rubies-"

"S-six million?" Frank stammered. "Canadian or American dollars?"

"It doesn't matter." Percy said. "It's part of the tribute."

"Tribute?" Hazel quizzed.

"Oh." Piper nodded. "Kansas."

"Crazy," Jason grinned, "but I like it." Percy nodded at him. He went abroad with Leo. He opened the flood valves and sent Leo down to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools. He did this with gusto, driven, Louisa's blood drying on him.

They assembled at the rail, cutting the grappling lines. Piper brought out her new horn of plenty, willing it to spew Diet Coke. The soda came out with the strength of a fire hose, dousing the enemy deck. It sank remarkably fast. Percy held up Chrysaor's mask.

"Dionysus," he said, "or Bacchus, whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name… or your Diet Coke or something. So, yeah, thank you." He grimaced at the thanks. "We give this ship as tribute. We hope you like it."

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered, "he'd _better_ like it."

"Ssh," Hazel elbowed him, "precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me." Percy threw the mask and summoned a wave, pushing the ship down further. Leo was at the controls, getting them up into the air.

"I'm going to check on Lou," Percy said, "you guys OK to carry on tidying up?"

"Of course. We'll be down once we're done." Piper squeezed his arm reassuringly. Coach took over from Leo, ordering him to go and get cleaned up. Leo followed Percy down the stairs, quiet.

"You OK?" Percy asked without looking back.

"Is Lou going to be alright?" They stopped in the doorway to the infirmary. Annabeth had cleaned Louisa up and was finishing a splint on her arm.

"How is she?"

"She's weak." Annabeth said quietly. "I've given her as much nectar as I can get away with." Percy sat on the edge of the bed. Louisa was pale, her breathing laboured. Percy put a hand on her forehead, Leo hovering nervously at his shoulder. He summoned the green energy, heart pounding in his ears. Louisa grimaced. The fingers of her good hand twitched. Annabeth bit her thumb. "Careful, Percy."

"What about seawater?" Leo asked. "Would that help?" Annabeth nodded at him. Leo hurried out. His clothes stuck to him, the scent of blood filled his nose. A metallic taste seemed to imbue itself on his tongue. He tried not to think on it, focusing on getting the salt water. He was sure there was still a few barrels dotted about the ship. He had stocked up on them for the twins to use, hopefully the dolphin men hadn't got them all.

His hands trembled as he searched the walkway. Blood had dried, itching at his hands. He rambled upstairs. Piper swept past him with a broom, humming to herself. She seemed surprised to see him.

"Leo! Is everything alright? Is Lou OK?"

"I… I'm looking for barrels."

"Oh, I saw some over there!" She pointed towards the forward rail. She glanced at Leo, biting her lip. "Frank!" She called. "Frank, can you take one of those barrels done to Lou?"

"On it!"

"Thank you!" Piper beamed as he passed, a barrel under each arm. Leo turned to go after him, Piper stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Leo? Are… are you OK?"

"I'm just covered in my best friend's blood, nothing to cry about." But he did cry. He broke down as soon as the words left his mouth. Piper tucked an arm around his shoulder, leading him gently back downstairs and into the mess hall. She sat next to him at the table, placing a glass of water before him. Leo crumpled, thick tears flooding his cheeks. Piper retrieved a cloth from his tool belt, a bowl of warm water on the table next to her. She gently cleaned Leo's hands and forearms. The water quickly turned red. Blood had dried under his nails, in the callouses of his palms. He choked into his fist, breathing in fits and starts.

Piper hummed quietly while she cleaned, holding back her own tears. Her heart felt as though it were breaking, seeing him like this. She wanted to tell him it was OK, Louisa would walk through that door any second and swear at him for being an idiot, that he needn't worry, Louisa was strong and stubborn. But he wouldn't believe it, not while she cleaned his hands, not while he was choking on sobs, not while his clothes were saturated and drying with Louisa's blood.

She smoothed his hair back from his head, wiped his face gently with her fingers. No amount of charmspeak could make this better. _What could she do?_


	19. Chapter 19

**To the guest reviewer who put their name JasonGraceIsDead- you will be too if you keep this attitude up, that book _broke me_. **

**To Guest- yes and yes! Mwhaha!**

* * *

The sun was still yet to rise, but they sat for breakfast. The ship was a little banged up, scratches and gouges in the floor from the iron claws of the grappling lines. A large scarlet stain had dried in- no one wanted to touch it. The table was subdued, everyone picking at their food. Leo pushed his cereal around the bowl, gradually making it milkier and soggier. He had showered, his skin a little pink from scrubbing away dried blood, changed his clothes. Percy was pale, hands shaking. He had tried the green energy, tried the saltwater. Louisa's condition had stabilised somewhat, but she was yet to wake up.

"How long until we get to Rome?" Jason asked. Leo didn't seem to hear him, stirring his cereal the other way. Jason glanced at Piper worriedly.

"Leo?" She called gently.

"Mm?" He looked up in surprise, as if having forgotten they were there. His eyes were still red. Jason repeated his question carefully. "By sun-up." He answered quietly. Another hour or so. He pushed his bowl away, excused himself. Percy's eyes were trained on him until he vanished from sight. He looked to Annabeth, a silent question furrowing his brow.

"He's just worried."

"We all are." Hazel assured Percy as he frowned.

"I hope she wakes up soon," Frank murmured, pulling the crusts from his toast, "quiet Leo makes me nervous."

"I thought Leo made you nervous anyway?"

"Fine, more nervous."

"Dude, he's, like, half your size and weight."

"Yeah, but he's flammable." Frank shook his head.

"So glad you're keeping track of everyone, Frank."

* * *

Coach stood at the helm, singing quietly to himself. Leo didn't recognise the song, stopping next to him. Coach glanced sidelong at him, reducing his singing to humming. Leo checked the readings of the ship, listened to Festus's report.

"Hey, kid." Coach elbowed him gently. "I know what'll make you feel better."

"What's that, Coach?" Leo asked, only half-listening.

"I entrust my bat to you for _ten minutes_. Go and smash."

"Wow, Coach, that sounds like a real honour."

"It is! I can take my _very generous_ offer away." He warned, eyes twinkling playfully. Leo gave him a small smile.

"I'll consider it. Thanks, Coach." The satyr nodded once. Festus creaked at Leo, turning his head worriedly. Leo wanted to reassure the dragon, but couldn't even drum up a simple 'I'm fine'. Instead, he smiled weakly, focusing on the control panel. He felt shaky and drained. Piper had sat with him for _ages_. He hadn't told her anything, but she seemed to know. She stayed until he fell asleep at the table. He woke up in his bunk, tucked in like a small child.

He had checked on Louisa first thing. Annabeth had been with her, laying a cool cloth on her head. Still not awake. He left before Annabeth could ask him anything, had felt her watching him through breakfast. He had heard Frank's comment about 'quiet Leo'. On some level, it annoyed Leo. But he didn't have the energy to act on it. He felt like someone had taken some of his internal organs, his arm, his leg, part of his brain.

He could still taste blood.

Oh gods, what if she didn't wake up? What if she had lost too much blood? What if her last view of life was Leo crying, pleading for her to stay awake? His stomach churned, he could smell blood. It was on him still. He couldn't see it, but it was there. Warm, sticky, in abundance. Too much, too much. He didn't save her, she was dying and _he couldn't save her. _

"Valdez!" Coach slapped him, stinging the left side of his face. "Valdez, you OK?" Leo realised he was crying. He had been staring at the dark stain on the boards. "Hey, hey," Coach held his shoulder, "it's OK." Leo shook his head, mumbling gibberish. "Don't do that to yourself, Valdez. Don't." Coach shook his shoulder slightly. Leo dragged his sleeve across his face, sniffing. Invisible iron bands clamped around his chest. "Pan's Pipes, Valdez, you're OK."

"Lou's not." He croaked, gasping. _Why couldn't he breathe_?

"Look at me," Coach snapped his fingers, gesturing at his eyes, "look at me, cupcake." Leo blinked away tears futilely, something cold settling in his windpipe. "Don't you _dare_ blame yourself, you did everything you could. Lou knows that, _you_ know that, deep down. The girl is as stubborn as her father's domain. She's strong, she's powerful, she's scary, she's got this."

"But-"

"No. No, there's no buts. Only yours and I'll kick it if you don't breathe in _now_." Coach glared at him. Leo tried to work around the lump in his throat, eyes stinging. He tried swallowing, but that only spread the metallic taste down his throat. His skin itched, but his hands shook too much to attend it. Coach squeezed his shoulder. "Come on, Valdez, you can do it."

"Wh-? Wh-?" Leo gestured at himself, shaking his head.

"Nothing we can't handle." Coach assured him. "Count to five with me, Valdez, then you _will_ breathe in, OK?" Leo managed to nod, his head swimming. He stumbled the count, but they got to five. He breathed in. It was like someone had thrown a switch, he was gasping for air, trembling, his inhalations irregular. Coach grinned at him. "That's it! Told you! In, two three four five, out, two three four five…" The satyr took up the breathing with him, clapping Leo on the back a few minutes later, once his breathing was closer to normal.

"Coach, I-" Leo wiped at his face.

"You good?" Leo nodded.

"Thanks to you."

"Aww, I'm just talented like that." Coach ruffled his hair, laughing. Leo watched him for a moment, this five-foot-nothing crazy goat man, who liked to attack first, ask questions maybe later, had chewed out Percy and Annabeth for their disappearing act, who had chased Leo and the twins when they put firecrackers outside his bedroom door…

"Sorry about the firecrackers."

"I'll get you back one day. I'm just biding my time." Coach smirked. "You sure you're OK?" Leo nodded uncertainly, sighing. He scratched at his palm, cleared his throat. Coach sniffed. "You'll tell her one day."

"W-what?"

"Mm. Satyrs are… remarkably good at picking up on emotions." He shrugged. "You're worried you won't get to tell her how you feel. Don't deny it, Valdez. It's written all over your face when she's with you." His expression softened. "You can do it."

"What if… what if she doesn't… feel the same?"

"I know one thing about Louisa, for certain. She's loyal to a fault. You could tell her, it might not work out how you want, but she would _never_ leave you high and dry. No, never. You should have seen how angry she was when those dolphin-freaks hurt you, how she attacked that golden man when one of those dolphin-freaks threatened to slit _your_ throat with _her_ sword." Leo glanced back. The stain was a rusty brown, almost five feet wide. "That could've been you," Coach said, following his gaze, "Louisa wasn't going to let that happen."

"Damn fuckin' straight." Leo whirled round, heart soaring.

There she was, hair braided over one shoulder, pale, leaning heavily against the doorway, one arm around her middle, her left in a sling. Her mouth tipped up, somewhere between a smile and a grimace. "Hey, Valdez."


	20. Chapter 20

**Leoisa!**

* * *

Percy sensed his sister's movements, rushing from his cabin in search of her. Annabeth was coming out of the infirmary as he passed, crashing into him. She started to speak, worry creasing her brow, realised his urgency. She fell in step behind him.

"Lou!" Percy called.

"Is Lou awake?" Piper appeared in the doorway to the mess hall. Percy ran off. "Is she?" Piper asked hopefully, clasping her hands.

"She's wandered off." Annabeth shook her head. "Honestly, I took _two minutes_ to go to the toilet and she disappears." Piper beamed, whirling round. Jason, Frank and Hazel were at the table, listening carefully.

"She's awake!" Piper exclaimed. Annabeth darted off. She found Percy standing on the deck, peering around the doorway to the helm.

"Per-?" Annabeth began. He motioned, put a finger to his lips. Annabeth stopped at his side, holding his arm and sneaking a peek too. Just a couple of feet inside the door, Leo was clinging to Louisa. She was hugging him around the shoulders with her good arm, somewhat using him to stay standing. Coach stood at the controls, smiling and shaking his head.

"I'm OK, Valdez, I'm OK-" He mumbled unintelligibly, but his tone shook, as if holding back hysteria. They couldn't see his face, buried in Louisa's shoulder. His arms were tight around her waist and shoulders, fingers curled in the material of her shirt. He said something else and she laughed. "Fuck off." She grinned, squishing her cheek on his hair. "Spend too much time with ya, Valdez. Ya stupid's wearin' off on me."

Annabeth glanced up at Percy. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were stormy.

"Percy." She breathed. He started. "Look at them." She suggested, voice barely above a whisper. "_Really_ look at them." Confusion flitted in his gaze. He focused on the pair again. Louisa was smoothing Leo's hair back, her voice soft as she gently reassured him.

"_You_ didn't stab me, stop apologisin'. It's my own stupid fault." He nodded, mumbling again. "You weren't supposed ta agree with that." But they could hear the smile in her tone. Percy bit his lip. He knew Louisa had been a huge help to Leo and his siblings while building the Argo; he knew their partnership drove many, _many_ people to try and bash their heads in. He suspected Leo had confided in her, many times, he saw how they only had to look each other to get the giggles. He had heard from Annabeth, Piper and Jason how much trouble the pair had caused and got themselves in while at Camp Half Blood, he could only imagine how well Chiron's blood pressure had taken that.

It had clicked when Leo had given her those sunflowers- sunflowers that lasted three days under Louisa's 'care'- and Percy started noticing the soft looks he gave her more often. He had tried to be discreet, keeping an eye on them, keeping track of how she made sure he was never alone, how he gave her inventions to test with reckless abandon, how they pestered the other to shower, to sleep, to eat, stealing food and snickering at inside jokes they didn't need to say out loud. She complained about his Rolling Stones, but Percy had heard her humming along. Leo babbled about his inventions, the ship, and she listened. He _loved_ seeing her drawings, to the point she would rush off to show him the latest piece before even Percy saw it.

Percy hadn't really thought about how Louisa felt. She had always turned her nose up or mocked and pretended to barf every time he and Annabeth showed the littlest bit of affection to each other. Part of him figured it was simply because he was her brother. Another part of him hoped it meant she just wasn't straight up interested in 'lovey-dovey mush'.

But she didn't show love like he did. Percy gave hugs, kisses, snuck off to stables, seemed glued to Annabeth's hip, held her hand, playfully bicker and challenge the other. Louisa yelled and wrestled and bossed and fussed and force-fed and roasted marshmallows on. She had stood over Leo as he slipped in and out of consciousness. She had taken on an immortal pirate, knowing how easily Percy had been defeated. She nearly gave her life, for him. For the strange, small impish boy who set his own clothes on fire, whose brain thought quicker than his mouth could speak, who was restless and fidgety and always tinkering to keep his hands occupied, who swore in Spanish, who had accidentally taught her those Spanish swears, who listened to Rolling Stones and called them all organic lifeforms.

For the boy who was still hugging her, who looked like he would never let go, who was crying into her shoulder, whose hair she still stroked. He could feel Annabeth's gaze on him, inhaling shakily.

"You see it?" Annabeth whispered.

"Yeah." He looked round, surprised to see the others stood behind them. Piper grinned knowingly at him.

"You OK?" Annabeth lay a hand on his arm. Percy didn't answer, looking back. Louisa had taken a step back, wiping at Leo's face with her good hand.

"You squished my arm, Valdez." Percy saw the knot of a sling peeking out at the base of her neck.

"Sorry." He mumbled, smiling guiltily. He took her hand in both of his, gently squeezing her fingers. Louisa laughed.

"Ya can't get rid of me that easily."

"I wouldn't want to even if I could."

"Damn straight, ya stuck with me." She nodded once. Leo smiled. Another soft look.

"I think I can live with that." He finally noticed Percy and Annabeth, ducking his head. Louisa turned, jaw set, ready for a fight. She grinned when she saw them.

"Hey!" She waggled the fingers of her left hand, wincing. "Nope, that hurt. Bro, ya look like shit."

"Like you're much better." Percy half-smiled, finally hugging her. Almost instantly, the tightness in his chest faded, his head cleared. His left arm tingled, he rested his chin atop her head, ignoring her complaints. "You're grounded." He said it to her, but he was looking at Leo, who fidgeted restlessly. Louisa sighed into his shoulder.

"Ya can't ground me."

"Yes I can. I'm calling rank."

"Ya can't call rank!"

"Yes I can."

"Fine, I'm callin' Mam."

"And I'm calling _Jessica_. I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear _all_ about your latest stupid."

"You're stupid." She muttered. She tipped her head back to frown up at him defiantly. "I'm tired. Carry me."

"You brought yourself here." Percy pointed out. She narrowed her eyes. Percy smiled and kissed her forehead, immediately getting the reaction he hoped for.

"Ewww, no!" She rubbed at her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Save that mush for Annabeth!" Laughter bubbled in his chest. Louisa groaned, blew a raspberry at him. She pointed at the door demandingly. Percy rolled his eyes, stooping to hook his arm behind her legs. He picked her up easily, getting glared at for it. "Only time ya doin' this, bro."

"I know, I know, you hate being picked up." She pulled a face at him, smiling at the entourage waiting outside.

"Sup, ya'll!" She beamed.

"Oh my gods, throw her overboard."

"Fight me, McLean."

"Maybe later." Piper smiled. "Glad you're OK, Lou."

"Eh, ya'll worry too much. I've had worse."

"I'm scared to ask." Hazel admitted.

"I'm not," Jason grinned, "do tell."

"Do any of ya know what a cerastes is? Ugly fucker. Ate me."

"It _ate_ you?"

"Yeah, how rude is that?" She patted Percy's cheek. "I wanna sleep."

"OK."

"Now."

"OK."


	21. Chapter 21

**To JasonGraceIsDead- there will be **_**severe **_**repercussions!**

* * *

Leo helped Louisa up to deck as Rome came into view. He held her good arm around his shoulders, one hand carefully on her waist as she stumbled alongside him. Piper smiled as they approached, hugging Louisa about the shoulders.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was stabbed 'n' my arm was broken."

"You never change." Piper shook her head, squishing Louisa's cheeks between her palms. "Come see this."

The sky was a brilliant blue, the sun was rising over the distant hills, so everything shone and sparkled. The city had no regards for the limit of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, hopped the Tiber with dozens of bridges. And it kept going, sprawling all the way to the horizon. Streets and alleys twisted with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighbourhoods. Glass office buildings towered over excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns which stood next a modern football stadium.

Some neighbourhoods had old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a collection of palm trees, pines, junipers and olive trees. Rome appeared indecisive, what part of the world did they belong to? What parts of the world still belonged to Rome?

"We're setting down in the park," Leo said, "let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something." The noise of the traffic was all around them, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To their left, a green lawn sloped towards a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird-looking pine trees that reminded Percy of the trees from the Dr Seuss books.

On the right, snaking along the top of the hill, a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers. To the north, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops.

Jason pointed to the archers wall.

"I think I know where we are. That's the tomb of the Scipios."

"Reyna's pegasus?" Percy quizzed.

"No," Annabeth said, "they were a noble Roman family and… wow, this place is amazing."

"I've studied maps of Rome before," Jason said, "I've always wanted to come here, but…" He trailed off, lost for words with awe. Everyone seemed to have been taken by the same spell. Louisa was trying to take in every detail she could, Annabeth still studied the archers wall, Percy looked to the Colosseum… they all had something they were fixed on, almost disbelievingly. They were in _Rome_.

"Plans?" Hazel asked, beginning the shake-off of their stupor. "Nico has until sunset, at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed." Stupor gone.

"You're right." Percy nodded, looking to Annabeth. "Did you zero in on that spot from your map?" Annabeth shot him a warning look.

"Yes, it's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should-"

"Take me along." Percy cut across. "Yeah, you're right." Annabeth was now glaring daggers at him. Louisa finally looked away from their surroundings, watching the pair. Her gaze flitted between them, as if she wasn't sure she should intervene or get popcorn.

"That's not-" Annabeth began.

"Safe." Percy nodded again. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there." A silent stare down settled on them. Louisa hit Leo's arm, holding her hand out. He immediately supplied her with marshmallows and they began scoffing them, eagerly awaiting the turn out.

"Fine." Annabeth eventually grumbled. Percy smiled with grim victory. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?" Hazel blinked, as if coming out of trance watching the Percabeth show. Louisa offered her a marshmallow and she squished it between her fingers.

"Um… yeah, hopefully. If I get close enough, I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?" Frank smiled.

"Absolutely."

"And, uh, Leo? It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical. We'll bring him back, Lou, let go of his arm." Percy suddenly remembered something else to add to his 'Leo-is-suspicious' list- Chrysaor had called Leo Louisa's boyfriend.

Louisa frowned at Hazel, eyes narrowing. Her fingers tightened on Leo's arm.

"It's OK, Lou, they clearly need my fine leadership skills." Leo pushed a hand through his hair, giving his most dazzling smile. Louisa snorted with laughter. He began to protest, but she shut him up, shoving marshmallows in his mouth. Percy bit his thumbnail- at least she had let go of his arm now. Once this was all over, he was going to have a _niiiice little chat_ with Leo…

Piper drew her knife, setting it on the rail.

"Jason, Lou and I can watch the ship for now. Yes, Lou, you _are_ staying here. You're still healing."

"I'm fine!"

"Do as you're told."

"Make me."

"I will."

"I need ta see that." Louisa grinned mischievously. Piper opened her mouth to retort, cut off when Jason cleared his throat. Louisa stuck her tongue out at him.

Piper rolled her eyes. A marshmallow bounced off her temple, Leo and Louisa snickering.

"Anyway," she said calmly, "I'll see what Katoptris can show me. Hazel, if you get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in alone. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants." Hazel nodded. Louisa dumped more marshmallows on her, Hazel had to quickly cup her hands to catch them. No one mentioned their lack of a god.

"Good idea," Percy said, "how about we meet back here at, what?"

"Three in the afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an IM." Nods bounced around the group, several glances thrown Annabeth's way. She would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three. She might be back later. Or never.

Coach Hedge grunted.

"That'll give me time to eat the coconuts- I mean, dig the coconuts out-"

"We know what you mean, Coach," Leo smiled, "have at it."

"Sweet. Thanks, Valdez. Now you two," he rounded on Percy and Annabeth, jabbing a finger at them both, "I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember- _behave._ If I hear about any funny business, I'll ground you until the Styx freezes over. Stop smiling, Jackson."

"We'll be back soon." Percy promised. He looked around at the group, trying not to feel like this was the last time he'd see them. "Keep Lou out of trouble." He told Piper. "She listens to you, gods knows why."

"'Cos I like Piper." Louisa said matter-of-factly. Multiple protests shot up and she cackled. Percy sighed.

"Good luck everyone." He said. Leo shifted Louisa over to Piper, lowering the gangplank moments later. Percy and Annabeth were the first off the ship, hand-in-hand.

* * *

The ship was oddly quiet with two thirds of their crew rambling about Rome. Piper set up shifts for them, half an hour intervals to stand with Coach and keep an eye on the ship. Jason took the first watch. Piper took Louisa back to her cabin. Louisa sat on the floor, pulling a box from below her bunk. Piper peered over her shoulder, seeing the box crammed with paints and brushes and small canvases, sketchbooks, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, colouring pencils.

Louisa helped herself to water colours, digging a paint-splattered cup from the bottom of the box. A water bottle on her nightstand shot into her hand and she tipped the contents into the cup.

Piper hadn't seen Louisa paint before. She had seen the end results. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't little spheres of water selecting colours and painting the picture themselves.

"That's cheating." She laughed.

"Is not." Louisa insisted. "My paintin' hand is broken."

"Oh, I'll let you off then." Piper cooed. Louisa blew a raspberry. Three or four colours ran at once, the paint instantly dried; it was their first look at Rome. "How do you remember it all? And where did you learn to draw and stuff?"

"'N' stuff." Louisa repeated, laughing. "Pipes, when ya get as bored as I do, you'll try anythin' ta keep yaself from dyin' of said boredom."

"What, in between all the monsters and gods and Titans? Yeah, Leo told me about that one."

"Bastard."

"He thought it was funny. And it is."

"Nine year old me was dick."

"So, you really _do_ never change." Louisa repeated the sentence in an uneven, squeaky mocking tone. Piper pinched her arm, shaking her head. She waited until the painting was finished, only a few minutes. "OK, question," she rested her chin on Louisa's shoulder, loosely hugging her from behind, "what happened with you and Reyna?"

"What'd ya mean?" She asked, picking up the next canvas.

"Like, did _anything_ happen between you two? Lovey-dovey mush." She clarified, laughing as Louisa cottoned on.

"No."

"Ugh, lame."

"Very sorry ta disappoint, Pipes."

"So you should be." Piper pouted. "What makes you like Reyna then?"

"She's cool. Kicks ass. Nice ass." Piper laughed, spawning protests from the other girl. "She does!"

"Can't say I looked!" She watched the water select yellows and oranges, a little brown. The shape of Festus's head slowly materialised. "So, d'you think anything will happen between you two?" Louisa shrugged her good shoulder, bumping Piper's chin in the process.

"She's very set on this praetor thing. Kinda hard ta get her ta relax. Best I get is sparrin'."

"Who wins?"

"It's fifty-fifty."

"Oh my gods, you _liar_."

"Forty-sixty in her favour, OK?" Piper snickered. "I let her win!"

"I'm sure you do!"

"I'm goin' off you."

"OK, OK, I won't ask any more about Reyna. What about Leo?"

"What 'bout him?"

"Do you like him? _Liiike_ him? I mean you _did_ hold onto his arm when Hazel said about him going with her and Frank. _And_ not to mention the whole, you know, stabbing thing." Louisa stayed quiet. Piper pressed her lips together, humming softly.

"I'm not followin'."

"Oh my gods…"

"What?"

"You're _literally_ clueless." Piper sighed. Louisa sent a quick glare over her shoulder. "OK, so, you stay up all hours to stay with him, you're the only one to get him to eat when he refuses everyone else… for some _bizarre_ reason, you listen to his terrible jokes and actually find them _funny_. Blah blah blah."

"Still not followin'."

"I noticed." _How can she be so open about Reyna, but not Leo_?

Piper said nothing more on it. She sat behind Louisa, her arms around her waist, her chin still on her shoulder, watching her paint. When Jason knocked, she startled.

"Lou's turn." He decided. "Coach is singing." He grimaced. Piper stood first, helping Louisa up.

"Sounds fun. Get out of my room." She shooed them out, shutting the door behind her. Piper offered to walk her up, but Louisa shook her head. She kept her hand on the wall as she walked.

"I don't think she should be on watch."

"Good luck telling her that."

"She's got one working arm and is still recovering from blood loss."

"This is _Lou_. Pretty sure you could cut her head off and she'll still try to fight you." Piper hummed in agreement. "Seemed cosy in there." He nodded at the cabin. Piper smiled, cheekily pinching his cheek.

"I've found if I want answers from her, I'll have to intrude, both verbally and physically."

"Answers? For what?"

"Well… we talked about Reyna for a bit. And I asked about Leo."

"Oh? What'd she say?"

"She has no idea."

"Oh gods…"

"_Right_? It's so obvious! Honestly, I'm seriously considering hypnosis or something, she's clueless! Don't laugh, Jason, I'm serious." But she was laughing too.

* * *

Piper's turn came soon enough. Louisa sat on the edge, her legs hanging over. She rested her good arm on the lower portion of the railings, watching the trees. Jason sat next to her while Piper paced the deck, trying to block out Coach's terrible singing. She and Jason played I-Spy, rock paper scissors, but that bored her quickly enough. She had Jason tie one end of a length of rope to the railings and they used it as jump-rope, taking turns swinging it. Piper joined in. And then Coach, who was surprisingly good at it.

Louisa laughed as the rope caught on Jason's foot and he nearly fell. He was grinning, taking the rope from Piper. She was stunned, pleasantly so- she hadn't seen him so relaxed, not for a while. And not like this. With an almost child-like joy in his eyes, he spun the rope for Coach. Louisa stood to the side, a metre of rope in her hand. She was moving the fingers of her left hand, barely wincing. She fashioned a knot, grinning.

"Lou, no." Jason shook his head as the noose swung from her grip. She pouted at him, pretending to hang herself and then smirking wickedly. "Stop it." Jason warned, keeping back a smile, holding his hand out and snapping his fingers. She whisked it from his grip, untying the knot.

"Oh, hey!" She tossed the rope to the side. The game stopped, but she was waving. "Percy!" She called. "Percy, Jay won't let me die!"

"What?" Percy's faint reply came. Louisa sighed.

"I'll be back." She said, darting to the ladder and sliding down. Piper called after her.

"Be careful!" She scolded.

"Nope!" Louisa reached the bottom and waved. Piper sighed.

"She's impossible."


	22. Chapter 22

**To JasonGraceIsDead- I needed them being goofy kids/teens in the series, and it didn't always happen, so I fixed it! ^_^**

* * *

Percy stomped through the woods. Louisa stumbled along behind him; she had found a long stick, and was either poking him, the dirt or the trees with it, occasionally using it as support. "And then I had to watch Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn drive her away."

"I don't know who those people are."

"Cheesy old romance film."

"Ew."

"Yeah, I know."

"She'll be OK."

"I'm still worried. Gods, I'd rematch Chrysaor in a heartbeat, if it meant she didn't have to go. Ooh, I don't like this." He clenched his fists, unclenching and repeating irritably. "There's nothing I can do!"

"You believe in her, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then do that! Ya said it yaself, bro, _never_ bet against Annabeth."

"I know," Percy sighed, "I would never, I just feel… useless."

"I know somethin' ya can do."

"What?"

"Ya can ask Piper why she kept callin' me clueless."

"Clueless? About what?"

"Dunno. She kept askin' stuff 'bout Leo 'n' then callin' me clueless." She looked back at him, seeing protective big brother mode engage. "Ugh, what is it?"

"Chrysaor called him your boyfriend."

"He ain't my boyfriend."

"Do you… want him to be?"

"No, I… no. Why'd ya look like ya head is gonna explode? Is that why Piper kept- I'm not clueless!" _You are,_ Percy thought, _gods dammit, you are._ At his sulk, she threw aside her stick and tucked her hand into her pocket, pulling out her watch. She twisted the ring around the clock face with her thumb, holding her sword a second later. "Come at me, bro."

"No." Percy shook his head.

"What, 'fraid you'll lose, like always?"

"You've got a broken arm. And don't say it's fine. You got hurt because I couldn't stop him." Louisa's quip died on her tongue. Something clicked in her head. She had been getting a funny feeling from him, something cold and fuzzy. But it hadn't made sense to her until now. Percy bit his lip, shoulders hunched. Louisa lowered her sword, tipping the point into the dirt. She watched him expectantly and he sighed. "I… was useless and… overpowered. He blocked our powers, Lou, and then disarmed me like that." He snapped his fingers, scowling. "He kept me alive, because someone else paid him to, just so _they_ could kill me later."

"I can kill ya now, if it makes ya feel better."

"Not helping. I felt weak. Like I still had the Achilles' blessing and he found my weak spot and just kept stabbing at it." He pulled his pen from his pocket, twisting it in his fingers. Louisa lifted her sword, tapping the flat of the blade on his shoulder. Percy slid the cap off with his thumb, sighing. He swung half-heartedly at her, lazily crossing their blades. Louisa jabbed at him, he parried, shaking his head. "No, I'm not fighting you."

"You need it." She poked him lightly with the sword tip. "Come on, bro. I've got one workin' arm 'n' it's the wrong one."

"Didn't stop you dual wielding."

"Yeah, but I'm a leftie. It's the best hand."

"It's not." Percy half-smiled. Louisa wrinkled her nose. She stabbed at him, he deflected. She slashed and he ducked. A defiant gleam appeared in her eyes and she swept forward. She attacked with all the ferocity she could muster, enough to keep Percy on his toes. He was mindful of her arm, of how her steps faltered and how pale she was, but he knew that look. She wasn't going to let up just because she had lost some blood, just because she was fighting with her weaker hand.

And with every attack, came a question, a demand.

"Who fought Medusa 'n' won? Who sent her head to the gods?"

"Me."

"Who broke him 'n' his friends out of the Lotus Hotel?"

"Me."

"Who tricked that old dude with the mattresses, I don't know his name, but who tricked him?"

"I did."

"Who talked their way into the Underworld 'n' bargained with Hades? Who fought Ares at twelve years old? Who returned the master bolt to Zeus?" She listed off every achievement she knew, from the sirens, to Circe (with special emphasis on the guinea pig transformation), to the Labyrinth, to Kampe, to the battle at Camp that changed Zeus's Fist into a mess of boulders, holding up the sky, turning down immortality in favour of demigods he had never met and didn't know who they were yet.

Percy knew all of this. He had told her most of it, but it seemed others had expanded on it all for her. Every time he agreed, said he did it, 'it was me', she seemed to grow just that little bit more smug, she fought that little bit more. Colour seemed to come back to her cheeks, she was grinning. She stayed to ask another question, his temper rocketed. He aimed for the handle, her grip was sloppy right-handed, and her sword disappeared into the trees. "Rude." She pouted, at sword point.

"You're annoying."

"I'm aware." She smiled sweetly. "You put too much pressure on yaself, bro. There's only so much one guy can handle." Percy lowered his sword, anger ebbing.

"I just feel that… the older I get, the longer… the longer I survive all this demigod shit… the more everyone looks up to me." Louisa's expression softened. "People rely on my powers, Lou, but my powers have gotten people _killed_. And now… and now there's all _this_ going on," he gestured vaguely, "and I… I can't let them down, but I freaked out in the aquarium, Shrimpzilla knocked me out, the fish-centaurs didn't even want to meet me, Nico's dying, Annabeth is gone, I nearly lost you because I couldn't beat some shiny dude-"

"You _did_ beat him though. Yeah, OK, maybe not with ya sword. But you've been hangin' around Blondie long enough ta know it's not always brawn, Percy. Ya brain is just as good, if not better, a weapon as any old sword. If it weren't for you, you 'n' Annabeth would be bleedin' out on some old steps somewhere, Piper 'n' Hazel would be slaves, Coach would be Cyclopes' dinner, the boys would probably be sold off to fight or somethin', I don't know." She shook her head. His shoulders dropped, he turned away. Louisa put a hand on his arm. "Your fatal flaw, it's loyalty, yeah?"

"Yeah. Athena told me, years ago. She said I'd sacrifice the world to save a friend."

"That bothers you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because… because I'm not as great as everyone thinks I am! You can list off however many monsters and quests you want, I just feel like a massive fraud and Chrysaor put the nail in the coffin!" He glared at her, eyes glistening. "You nearly _died_, Lou, and that would've been on me!"

"No, it'd would've been on me, I'm the idiot that tried fightin' him!"

"You were trying to save Leo!" He pointed back at the ship. "Your blood is on that floor, _you nearly died_! And don't say you've had worse, it doesn't make me feel any better!" Louisa sighed, squeezing his arm.

"Ya don't have ta be the strongest." She said quietly. "Ya don't have ta be scared that you're not. We're a team for a reason 'n' you're stuck with me for a reason too." She smiled half-heartedly. "If ya want more trainin', be it ya powers or sword or even a trident- yes, we're naturally very good with those, ask Jay- just shout. Seriously. Ya know how much I enjoy kickin' ya ass all the time." Percy scoffed, smiling.

"I think losing all that blood as made you confused, Lou."

"But it is _all the time_."

"You're exaggerating."

"Never." She grinned, holding her fist out. Percy smiled, tired, bumping his own against hers.

"Thanks, Lou."

"No probbles. Now go find my sword."

"Ah, see, mine comes back to me all on its own."

"My _sword_, Percy. Go fetch."

"Yes, Lou."


	23. Chapter 23

Upon returning to the ship, the twins saw that Jason and Piper had wandered off. Coach tutted at their confusion- "They've gone for a picnic."

"Why?" Louisa frowned.

"Some romantic thing." He wrinkled his nose. Louisa 'eww'ed and he offered her a coconut.

"Can't believe ya sharin', Coach."

"I can change my mind."

"No, no, I'll take it." She bounced the coconut in her hand, humming. "How hard have I gotta throw one of these to kill someone?"

"_Now_ you're talking." Coach grinned. Percy snatched the coconut from the air.

"Please, no murder. I'm tired." He glanced back to the forest. "I'm going to go and find them."

"Gate-crasher." Louisa dubbed. Percy was tempted to see what noise the coconut made if thrown at her head.

"I'm going." He persisted, dropping the coconut on her foot instead. She swore at him.

"Bye, gate-crasher."

"Bye, Lou." She watched him clamber back down the ladder. Once he disappeared through the trees, she challenged Coach to a mini soccer game with her fallen coconut.

* * *

It was nearly two when Percy returned, Piper and Jason in tow. Percy filled them in on Annabeth once all on the deck, so Coach could hear too. His voice was tight, seconds from resuming his previous freak out. Piper lay a hand on his arm.

"It's alright. Annabeth can look after herself, she'll be fine." She laced a little charmspeak into her words. Percy sighed.

"You're right. Anyway, Gregory- I mean, Tiberinus, said we had less time to rescue Nico than we thought." Louisa glared at him- he hadn't mentioned _that_ earlier. Jason grabbed her wrist to look at her watch, except he had grabbed her unbroken right arm, on which she did not wear her watch.

"It's two in the afternoon." She told him. He frowned.

"We said three for the rendezvous, at the latest." Jason worried. Percy pointed to Piper's dagger.

"Tiberinus said you could find Nico, you know, with that." Piper bit her lip.

"I've tried, but the dagger doesn't always show what I want to see. In fact, it hardly ever does."

"Please try." The twins pleaded with sea green eyes, Louisa biting her thumb. Percy's expression reminded her of a baby seal- how did Annabeth ever win arguments against them?

"Fine." She sighed.

"While you're at it," Coach chipped in, "see if you can get the baseball scores. Italians don't cover baseball worth beans." Piper shushed him, studying the bronze blade. The light shimmered. She saw a loft apartment filled with Romans. A dozen stood around a dining table as Octavian talked and pointed to a big map. Reyna paced next to the windows, gazing down at Central Park.

"That's not good." Jason worried. "They've already set up a forward base in Manhattan."

"And that map shows Long Island." Percy frowned. Piper concentrated and the image changed. Ruins, a few crumbling walls, a single column. A stone floor covered in moss and dead vines, all clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees. "I was just there," Percy said, "that's in the Old Forum." The view zoomed in. On one side of the stone floor, a set of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a modern iron gate with a padlock. The image zipped through the doorway, down a spiral staircase and into a dark cylindrical chamber.

Piper dropped the knife.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "It was showing us something."

"We can't go there." Piper whispered.

"Piper, Nico is dying." Percy squeezed her shoulder. "We've got to find him. Not to mention, Rome is about to get destroyed." Piper was lost for words. Terror bristled in her eyes. Louisa retrieved her knife for her, gently squeezing her hand as Piper took it.

The images returned. Two giants in gladiator armour sat in oversized praetors' chairs. They toasted each other with golden goblets. Between them stood a large bronze jar. The vision zoomed in again. Nico was curled in a ball, no longer moving. All the seeds had been eaten.

"We're too late." Jason sighed.

"No." The twins defied. Percy carried on, "No, I can't believe that."

"Maybe he's gone into a deeper trance," Louisa continued, "ta buy time. We have ta hurry." The knife went dark. Piper sheathed it.

"Lou, maybe you should stay here-"

"No, no way. I don't know what you've seen that's scared ya, but I'm comin'. Ya can't stop me."

"But, Coach-"

"I'll be fine." The satyr waved it off. "Go save this Nico kid!"

"Should we wait for the others?" Piper asked.

"No time, we have to go _now_."

"It's just two giants!" Coach barked a laugh. "If you guys want, I can take them!"

"Uh, Coach," Jason smiled uneasily, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man- uh, goat?- the ship."

"And let you have all the fun?" Coach protested. Percy gripped his arm.

"Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah," Jason agreed, struggling to keep a straight face, "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

"And here," Piper handed her knife to him, "keep an eye on us." Coach's eyes widened- a demigod should _never_ leave her weapon behind. "And you can check the baseball scores." That sealed the deal. Coach nodded grimly.

"Alright, but if any giants come this way-"

"Feel free to blast them." Jason nodded.

"What about annoying tourists?"

"No." Three of them said.

"Yes." Louisa grinned. Percy elbowed her. "Ugh, fine. No, Coach, no tourists."

"Bah, fine. Just don't take too long or I'm coming in after you with ballistae blazing."

* * *

They found the place easily, Percy lead them straight to it. Jason broke the lock with his sword and they were in. Jason offered to go first, freezing when Piper yelped. Both boys looked at her; Louisa was throwing pebbles down the stairwell.

"What is it, Pipes?" Jason asked.

"I didn't know how to tell you," She began slowly, eyes stinging, "but I saw the room down there filling with water. I saw the three of us drowning." She gestured at herself and the boys.

"I can't drown." Percy said, but his tone implied a question. Louisa looked back at him, ready to throw a rock the size of her fist full-pelt.

"Maybe the future has changed," Jason suggested, "I mean, we've got Lou." She dropped the rock and waved. "And in the image you just showed us, there wasn't any water."

"Look, I'll check it out first." Percy offered. "It's fine, I'll be right back. Lou, stay." He disappeared down the stairwell before anyone could protest. Louisa loudly counted to thirty-five before they heard his footsteps returning. "Good news- no water. Bad new- no exits. And, uh, weird news… well, you should see this." He led the way down, the girls in the middle and Jason bringing up the rear. The boys and Louisa had their swords drawn. Piper lightly scolded Louisa.

"Your arm, Lou."

"I can fight right-handed."

"Not very well." Percy jibed cheekily.

"I will stab you."

"No, ta." Percy shook his head. Piper readied her Cornucopia. The stairwell was a cramped corkscrew, about six feet in diameter. Louisa made notches on the wall with the tip of her sword every so often. She made no mention as to why, humming distractedly to herself.

At the bottom, after what felt like an eternity, Percy stopped them. "Mind the last step." He jumped down, turning to help his sister down. There was a five foot drop from the last step to the floor of the cylindrical room. Piper reluctantly hopped down, Jason shortly behind her. Piper's hands trembled; the room was exactly as she had seen in her knife, minus the water.

Curved walls had once been painted with frescoes, now faded egg-shell white with flecks of colours. The ceiling domed fifty feet above them. Opposite the stairwell, nine alcoves were carved into the wall, each niche about five feet off the floor too. Each one was big enough for a human-sized statue, but each was empty. The air was cold and dry. No other exists. "Alright," Percy said, "here's the weird part. Watch this." He stepped into the middle of the room. Green and blue light rippled across the walls. They could hear a fountain, but no water. The only other light came from the swords. "Do you smell the ocean?" Percy asked. Piper was standing between the twins- they always smelled like the sea.

But the scent of salt water and storm was getting stronger.

"An illusion?" She asked.

"I don't know. I feel like there should be water here, lots of water. I've never been in a place like this." Percy looked to his sister. She nodded, frowning up at the ceiling. Jason moved to the row of niches, touching the bottom shelf of the nearest one, at his eye-level.

"This stone… it's embedded with seashells. This is a nymphaeum."

"A what?" Piper quizzed.

"A shrine to the nymphs." Louisa answered. "Shrines like this were all over the place in Ancient Rome." Jason nodded.

"Rich people had them outside their villas to honour the nymphs, to make sure local water was always fresh. Some shrines were built around natural springs, but most were man-made."

"So…" Piper said hopefully, "no actual nymphs lived here?"

"Not sure." Jason admitted. "Often, if a nymphaeum belonged to a demigod, they would invite nymphs to live there. If the spirits took up residence, it was considered good luck."

"For the owner," Percy guessed, "but it would also bind the nymphs to a new water source, which would be great if the fountain was in a nice sunny park with constant fresh water…"

"But this place has been underground for centuries." Piper said. "Dry and buried. What happened to the nymphs?" The sound of water changed to a chorus of hissing. The rippling blue and green light changed to purple and sickly lime. The niches glowed, no longer empty. Each one had a withered old woman, so dried and brittle, they looked like mummies. Ones that could move.

Their dark purple eyes were fixed on the demigods hungrily, their silk dresses were faded and tattered. Their hair, once piled high in curls and decked with jewels, was now dishevelled and dry as straw. The one in the centre niche repeated Piper's question, in worse shape than the others. Her back was hunched, her skin was thin and papery.

"Perhaps the nymphs would still be here," she wheezed, "suffering, waiting on revenge."


	24. Chapter 24

_**Really **_**short chapter tonight! So sorry! :P**

* * *

Naturally, the stairs disappeared. Louisa stepped in front of Piper, sword raised. The boys stood either side of her, ready to fight.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded.

"We had names once!" The central nymph rasped. "I was Hagno, the first of the nine!"

"The nine?" Jason repeated.

"Of course," Hango bared her teeth, "we are the _original_ nine, Jason Grace. We were the ones who attended the birth of your father." Jason's sword dipped, stunned.

"You mean Jupiter? You were there when he was _born_?"

"Zeus, we called him then. Such a squealing whelp. We attended Rhea in labour, hid the baby so his father, Kronos, would not eat him."

"Nice dad." Louisa remarked.

"Ah, he had lungs, that baby!" Hagno continued, taking no notice of Louisa. "It was all we could do to drown out the noise. When he grew up, we were promised eternal honours. But that was in the old country, Greece." The other nymphs wailed and clawed at their niches. It was a little relief to see they were trapped. "We moved here when Rome rose to power, bribed by a son of Jupiter. He said Rome would last forever! So we gave in to temptation, left our simple wells and springs on Mount Lycaeus and moved here. For centuries, our lives were _wonderful_! Parties, sacrifices, new dresses and jewellery every week! All the demigods of Rome flirted with us!" She sighed wistfully. "But Rome did not last. The aqueduct was diverted, the villa was abandoned and torn down. We were forgotten. Buried under the earth, we could not leave. We are bound to this place, our master never released us. We've withered here in the darkness for centuries, thirsty… so thirsty…"

"I'm sorry," Piper said, filling her words with charmspeak, "but we aren't your enemies. If we can help you-"

"Oh, such a sweet voice! Such beautiful features! I was young once, like you. My voice as soothing as a mountain stream. Do you know what happens to a nymph's mind, when she's trapped in the dark? Nothing to feed on but hatred. Nothing to drink but thoughts of violence?"

"Um," Percy waved at them, motioned to himself and Louisa, "our father is Poseidon, maybe we can summon a new water source." Louisa nodded in agreement.

"Ha!" It echoed around them from the nine ninches. "Indeed, twins of Poseidon," Hagno grinned, "I know your father well. Ephialtes and Otis promised you would come."

"The giants?" Piper frowned. "You're working for them?"

"They are our neighbours. Their chambers lie beyond this place, where the aqueduct's water was diverted for the games. Once we have dealt with you- once you have _helped _us," she corrected slyly, "the twins promised we would never suffer again. You, child of Jupiter," she traced Jason's outline with her finger, "for the horrible betrayal of your predecessor who trapped us here, you shall pay. I know the sky god's powers, I raised him as a baby! We nymphs controlled the rain above our wells and springs! When I am done with you, we will have that power again!" She turned to the twins. "And you two, children of the sea god, from you, we will take an endless supply of water." Percy winced.

"We could spare a few gallons."

"And you, Piper McLean," Hagno continued, ignoring Percy, "so young, so lovely, so gifted with your sweet voice. From you, we will reclaim our beauty. We have saved our last life force for this. From you four, we shall drink!" Nine niches began to glow. The nymphs disappeared. Dark water gushed from the niches, sickly dark. Thick. Like oil.


	25. Chapter 25

Water gushed from the niches. The room filled with alarming speed. Percy, Jason and Piper scrambled about, pounding on the walls, desperately searching for an exit. Louisa stood in the centre, her good arm outstretched, eyes screwed shut in concentration. The water ignored her. By the time they were climbing in the niches, she gave up. The water was at their knees now, nearly eight feet deep, and rising.

"I could try lightning?" Jason suggested. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"

"That could bring the whole room down and crush us!" Piper shook her head.

"Or electrocute us." Percy said.

"Not many choices." Jason pointed out. Percy turned to face the water, frowning.

"Let me search the bottom- if this place is built like a fountain, there _has_ to be a way to drain it. Check the niches for secret exits, see if the seashells are knobs or something." He dived into the water. The other three climbed from niche to niche, Louisa clinging on with one hand. They kicked and pounded on the walls, wiggling seashells embedded in stone.

Percy returned sooner than expected, gasping and flailing. Piper offered her hand, almost getting pulled in. "Couldn't breathe." Percy wheezed. "Water… not normal. Hardly made it back." Louisa leaned out of her niche, studying him worriedly. She glared at the water challengingly. She took a deep breath and dived in. "Lou!" Percy cried. Piper held onto his arm with all her might, but he struggled.

"Percy, help us search the niches!" She pleaded.

"Lou! Come back!"

"Percy!" Jason leaned from his niche, two away from them. "If you don't focus, you'll be no help to Lou when she comes back up!"

"But-"

"I know." Jason nodded. "Now, please. Help us look." Percy stopped straining to free himself, reluctantly climbing into the niche next door. Louisa was underwater longer than him. His hands hit at the walls, twisted seashells, but his eyes never left the water. He was counting silently. At fifty-three, there was a faint, rippling burst of green light somewhere in the depths. Ice filled his chest. He jumped back in. The light was ebbing now, he could hardly see, but he pushed himself down. His movements were sluggish, his lungs cried for him to inhale. The silent count still went, sixty-four, sixty-five, a hand grabbed his. Elation pushed the ice from his chest, he pulled, kicking up at the same time.

They broke the water, him inhaling sharply, her choking and swearing. Percy pulled her back to the niches, slipping as he climbed up with her under his arm.

"What was that light?" He demanded, grasping her shoulders.

"I tried ta break the floor." She rasped.

"By what, _drowning_?" He clenched his fists. Her head tipped back, eyes heavy and unfocused. The water was just past her shoulders now, chest height to him. Their bodies ached, trembling as if they had sprinted for miles.

Piper looked round at them, the water nearing her shoulders. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. Jason was pale, fingers scraped from his efforts on the seashells. The twins were drenched and shivering, their hair not so dark, as if the colour was leaching out.

"They're draining us." She summarised.

"Jason, try the lightning." Percy coughed. Jason raised his sword, black water dripping from the blade, dulling its glow. The room shook. The roof stayed intact. A miniature rainstorm spiralled into existence at the top of the chamber. Each drop stung, just as dark as the water in the pool. Louisa was struggling to stay afloat, Percy had to pick her up as the water rose faster.

"Shortass." He managed. Her head lolled on his shoulder, murmuring sleepily. In the niche next door, Piper raised her cornucopia.

"I am the skeleton dog." She realised quietly. "Guys, I have an idea. We have to overwhelm them with _fresh_ water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute the poisonous stuff…"

"Can your horn do that?" Percy asked. He too was battling to stay above water, and with his sister's aided weight, he looked scared out of his mind. This was a whole new experience for him.

"Only with your help." Piper nodded. Louisa managed to raise her head, squinting grumpily at her. "I need you all to channel everything you've got into the cornucopia. Twins, think of the sea. Jason, think about rainstorms. _Much _more rain. As long as it's clean." Louisa stirred, drawing the last of her energy to join them, huddling around the cornucopia. Piper put an arm around each boy, Percy still held onto his sister. Between the three of them, they held the horn, closing their eyes to concentrate.

Nothing happened. Rain came down in sheets, dark and acidic.

"No good!" Jason fumed.

"We're getting nowhere." Percy agreed miserably. Louisa said nothing. She had put her head down on the horn, damp hair sticking to her face.

"You have to work together." Piper persisted. "All of you, think of clean water- don't hold anything back. Picture all your power, all your strength, leaving you."

"That's not hard!" Percy protested.

"But _force_ it out!" Piper ordered. "Offer up everything you have, like- like you're already dead and your only goal is to help the nymphs. It's got to be a gift, a sacrifice."

"I hate that word." Louisa grumbled.

"Let's try again." Jason said. Piper joined in this time too, thinking of her time at the beach with her father, the waves she surfed, swam through, how the sun glistened on the vast expanse of the ocean.

Clear water blasted from the horn, with enough force to push them against the wall. The rain changed to a white torrent, clear and cold. The room filled even faster. Piper opened her eyes, watching the rain fall, splattering on her cheeks, her nose. She looked to the others. The twins' eyes snapped open, as if sensing her focus. Piper's breath hitched. Their eyes glowed sea green, pure condensed energy staring back at her.

Their heads hit the ceiling. The glow of their eyes slowly faded, trails of the energy seeping into the water. Piper turned to Jason, kissing him.

"I love you." She sobbed. The water went over their heads. The rainstorm dissolved into it. Bubbles swirled around them, current roared in their ears. Multiple colours of light rippled through the water. Was the water getting clearer?

Shadows curled at the corners of Piper's eyes, about to pass out. The room shook. A whirlpool twisted around them. Piper's head broke the water and she gasped. Louisa struggled opposite her, holding onto Percy with her good arm, but he was face down in the water, pulling her down. Jason was face down too. Piper grabbed their arms, kicking her legs and rolling them onto their backs. Percy gulped and thrashed, scanning frantically for his sister and beaming when he found her. They touched down on the floor. Jason lay still. Piper shook his shoulders, calling his name. She slapped his face, hot tears slipping down her cheeks. "Jason!"

"I can help." Percy was at her side, gently budging her over. He pressed his fingertips to Jason's forehead. Water gushed from Jason's mouth, his eyes flew open with a clap of thunder, throwing the others back. He sat up, gasping. Piper laughed with relief.

"Sorry," he coughed, "didn't mean to-" Piper cut him off with a hug-tackle, peppering his face with kisses. Colour was returning to his cheeks, he smiled at her.

Louisa had torn off her sling, now cutting the splint off with the tip of her sword. She waggled her fingers and grinned, flourishing her arm.

"Piper, you hero!" She beamed. "Ya did it!"

_Yes she did_, a voice echoed around the chamber. The niches glowed. Nine figures appeared, but were no longer withered creatures. The nymphs were now young and beautiful, shimmering in their blue silk gowns, their glossy black curls pinned with silver and gold brooches. Their eyes settled on the four teens, gentle shades of blue and green. Eight of them dissolved into vapour and floated upwards. The one in the centre remained.

"Hagno?" Piper guessed. The nymph smiled.

"Yes, my dear. I didn't think such selflessness existed in mortals, especially in demigods. No offence."

"How could we take offence?" Percy deadpanned. "You only just tried to drown us and suck out our lives, nothing majorly offensive." Next to him, Louisa threw her hands up, grinning broadly.

"But my arm's better!" She told him.

"Sorry about that." Hagno said. "Not about your arm, my dear, but everything else. I was not myself." She looked to Jason, still smothered in Piper's hug. "Thanks to you and the twins, I remember the sea and the sky. But mostly thanks to Piper." She smiled at Piper. "She shared something even better than clear running water. You have a good nature, Piper. Take it from a nature spirit." She pointed to the other side of the room. The stairs to the surface reappeared. Underneath them, a circular opening shimmered into being, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through. "You may return to the surface," Hagno informed gently, "or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. Choose quickly. Both doors will fade soon after I leave. The pipe connects the old aqueduct lines, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the giants call home."

"Ugh," Percy groaned, "no more complicated words, please."

"Oh, _home_ is not a complicated word. I thought it was, but now you have freed us. My sisters have gone to seek new homes; a mountain stream, perhaps, or a lake in a meadow. I cannot wait to see the forests and grasslands and clear running water again."

"Uh…" Percy winced. "Things have changed up above in the last few thousand years."

"Nonsense." Hagno waved it aside. "How bad could it be? Pan would not allow nature to become tainted. I can't wait to see him in fact." Percy struggled for a moment, eventually deciding not to burst her bubble.

"Good luck." Piper told her. "And thank you." The nymph smiled and vanished. For a moment, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light. They could smell exotic spices and blooming roses. They heard distant music and happy voices.

"What is that?" Jason asked. Piper took his hand.

"The ghosts are dancing. Let's go find these giants."


	26. Chapter 26

**To JasonGraceIsDead- mmmmm, I'm saying nothing ^_^**

* * *

Percy took the lead down the sewer pipe. Louisa was a few steps behind him, humming the Ninja Turtle theme song- "Eighties' edition!" She proudly told them. She had picked up the habit of swinging her arms, throwing them out to the side randomly- she nearly hit Piper in the face a couple of times, but she was simply relishing in the use of both arms.

"Hey, uh, quick question for you two?" Piper motioned to Louisa, Percy glanced back. "What was that glowing eye thing back there?"

"The what?" They chorused. Piper wasn't sure if she liked it when they spoke simultaneously, it gave her the impression of a hive mind. She explained her question, but when they exchanged blank looks, she sighed.

"If it makes ya feel better, I think I only had glowin' eyes when I was possessed by a tree."

"_Why_ would that make me feel better?"

"And _how_, more importantly," Percy frowned, "do you get _possessed_ by a _tree_?"

"Popadom." Louisa replied simply. Percy's confusion cleared with a little 'ooohhh' and he faced forward again. It was Jason and Piper's turn to be confused. Neither twin offered any clarification. Louisa tipped her head to the right, sighing. "I hear somethin' loud that way." She pointed to the left. Somewhere that way, there was a rumbling and creaking, like a large machine in need of oiling. "I take it we're goin' that way?"

"Yup."

"Oh, joy. Percy, you can stay up front."

"Aw, thanks, Lou. Love you too."

"Nah, bro, just got my arm back. Fuck off."

Several hundred feet later, Percy stopped them at a turn in the tunnel. He peeked around the corner. The corridor opened into a vast room with twenty-foot ceilings and rows of support columns. The creaking and rumbling came from a huge gears and pulley systems that raised and lowered sections of the floor for no apparent reason. Cages hung from the ceiling, with live animals inside. A lion, zebras, a pack of hyenas, an eight-headed hydra. Ancient looking bronze and leather conveyor belts trundled along with weapons and armour. Percy looked back to Louisa, who was trying to peer around his arm.

"Leo would love this place." He whispered. "Big, scary and unreliable machine."

"What?" Piper puzzled. Percy did another quick scan, but he couldn't see the giants. He motioned for them to come forward. Louisa gave a low whistle once she surveyed the room.

"Yeah, Leo would be right at home here." About a hundred yards away, two empty, over-sized praetors' chairs sat on a dais. Between them, a large bronze jar. Louisa gasped when she saw it, her bow snapping to life in her hand. Percy stepped in front of her, arms spread. "Um, what-?" She glared up at him.

"Let's not draw attention to ourselves just yet." He breathed. Louisa sighed, lowering her bow. Piper squinted at the room disapprovingly.

"It's too easy."

"Of course." Percy nodded.

"We have no choice." Jason sighed. "We have to save Nico." Louisa nocked an arrow, but they all stopped her this time. Percy signalled with his hand to keep moving, giving her sister a warning glare before he turned away- _fire an arrow and I'll shove it up your nose_. Louisa stuck her tongue out at the back of his head.

They jumped a water trench, ducked under a row of caged wolves. Several times, they had to stop Louisa picking up something shiny and dangerous, she came very close to running her brother through with a javelin when he put a hand on her arm and made her jump.

They were halfway to the jar when the ceiling opened. A platform lowered. On it, one hand raised and head held high, was the purple-haired giant, Ephialtes. He was twelve foot tall, wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a garish print of dying heroes, horrible tortures and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. A ten foot spear was strapped to his back, he wore white jeans and leather sandals. His snake feet were hissing disapprovingly, squashed under his weight.

He noticed them immediately, beaming like he was really _really_ pleased to see them.

"At last!" He bellowed. "So very happy! I honestly didn't think you'd make it past the nymphs, but so much better you did! Much more entertaining, you're just in time for the main events!" Louisa sighed. The others moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder either side of her.

"Let our friend go!" Percy demanded, pointing at the jar with his sword.

"Of course!" Ephialtes agreed. "Though he's a bit past his expiration date! Otis, where are you?" The floor opened. "Finally! You're not dressed the same- _what are you wearing_?" Otis looked like the world's largest, grumpiest ballerina, in a skin-tight, baby blue leotard. Percy covered Louisa's eyes, wishing more was left to the imagination and that he could bleach his eyeballs. "It's showtime!" Ephialtes scolded. "What are you _thinking_?"

"I didn't want to wear the gladiator outfit. I still think a ballet would be perfect-"

"No!" Ephialtes shook his head, facing the demigods. Louisa was trying to push Percy's hand away, but he was not relenting, trying to look anywhere but at Otis and… all of _that_. "Please excuse my brother, his stage presence is awful and-" Louisa ducked her brother's arm, wincing at Otis and covering her own eyes. Piper couldn't help a laugh bubbling up, pressing her lips together.

"You suck." Louisa said, nocking an arrow, eyes closed. "Put on some pants!"

"My ballet idea is perfect!" Otis protested. She readjusted her aim and fired. The jar toppled, Nico tumbled out. He was deathly pale, too skinny. Louisa nocked another arrow, aiming for Otis's outraged screeches. She fired low, hitting him in the gut. The arrowhead exploded upon impact, oozing bright blue-green ooze. She opened one eye cautiously, then the other, glaring at him.

"Pants." She said, flapping her hand. "A marvellous invention."

"Pants aren't for ballet!"

"They are now!" Louisa grimaced. Her attention fixed on Nico, but Ephialtes moved over him before she could confirm Nico's condition.

"Know your cue!" Ephialtes raged. "You'll ruin our show!"

"Does it look like I _care_?" Louisa argued back, just as hotly. "_Give Nico back or I'll destroy_ _everythin' down here_!" Nico shuddered at the sound of his name.

"No!" Ephialtes shook his head furiously. "We're ready to create the greatest spectacle Rome has ever seen- and the last!" Percy shot forward to cover Louisa's mouth, holding his sword ready. He didn't need any of her comments to imprint the image of Otis _more_ in his brain.

"So, we all get cues?" He asked, forcing a smile. Otis was trying to swipe the ooze from his lower half, but it kept congealing on his hands. Louisa snickered behind Percy's hand.

"Yes!" Ephialtes grinned at him. "Finally, someone that gets it! Now, I _know_ the bounty stipulates that you and the girl Annabeth should be kept alive, if possible, but, honestly, the girl is already doomed. So I hope you don't mind if we deviate from the plan."

"Al-already doomed?" Percy stuttered. "You don't mean she's-?"

"Dead?" The giant guessed. "No, no. Not yet. But don't worry, we've got your other friends locked up, you see."

"Leo?" Piper asked, quelling panic in her tone. "Frank and Hazel?"

"Those are the ones!" Ephialtes nodded eagerly. "So-" Water exploded around them. Louisa shoved her brother away, squaring her shoulders. She now held her sword, clenching her other hand into a fist. Otis startled, lifting his foot over Nico threateningly. Water coiled around his foot and ankle, whipping him off balance and tossing him to one side. He vanished with a series of crashes and clatters over a conveyor belt, which bowed and creaked under his weight.

The water then wrapped gently around Nico, lifting him up. He stirred, dropped into Louisa's arms moment later. "That's it!" Ephialtes screamed. "You will _all_ die in agony, up above, where all the gods and mortals can watch!" He flourished his hands, grinning manically. "And that's just the opening ceremony! In the old days, games went on for days or weeks! Our spectacle, the destruction of Rome, will go on for one full month until Gaia wakes!"

"Wait," Jason frowned, "a month and Gaia wakes up?" Ephialtes waved the question aside.

"Yes, yes, something about August first being the best date to destroy humanity or something."

"So… you're Gaia's warm-up act?" Percy guessed.

"This is no warm-up, demigod! We'll release wild animals and monsters into the streets! Our special effects-" He was doused with water, words turning into protests and splutters.

"You talk too much." Louisa told him flatly.

"You have no gods with you!" Ephialtes roared. "You can't hope to win!"

"I can hope you'll shut up." Louisa tipped her chin up, dousing him again.

"Your deaths," he flailed, gasping, "your deaths will set this show off with a bang!"

"I'm getting tired of this guy's shirt." Percy sighed. "Get Nico somewhere safe." He told Louisa, readying his sword. Jason and Piper stood either side of him. Ephialtes shook water from his hair. Otis was on his feet, glowering, his leotard torn in places. Percy was going to have that image in his brain forever.

Piper and Jason nodded at him. Louisa was nowhere in sight. Percy smiled grimly and they charged.


	27. Chapter 27

Things went wrong immediately. The twin giants disappeared in puffs of smoke, reappearing halfway across the room, each in a different spot. Percy charged Ephialtes. Jason took on Otis. Piper took on a pair of hungry leopards, shooing at them frantically. Louisa had taken Nico back to the tunnel, sitting him up against the wall. With one hand, she crumbled a little ambrosia she had; with the other, she summoned a blob of water. She sprinkled the ambrosia crumbs in the water, twisting her fingers to swirl them together into an orb.

"Drink this." She ordered, pressing the orb to his mouth. Nico could only manage tiny sips. Louisa leaned to one side, watching the fight. The hydra cage was rising, about to go through the roof. Percy threw his sword like a boomerang and the chain snapped. The hydra fell, freed from its imprisonment. Percy stood ready to fight… and then realised he had thrown away his only weapon.

About a quarter of the orb was gone, Nico slumped, barely keeping his eyes open. Louisa tucked an arm around him, his head lolled onto her shoulder. "Come on, Nico, don't be a dick. Drink this."

"I missed you too." He croaked. She looked back in time to see Piper fire a pot roast over the leopards' heads. They eagerly scampered after it.

Jason was having… an _interesting_ battle with Otis. Ooze still somewhat covered his lower half, which Louisa was grateful for, but did he _have_ to pirouette every time he stabbed at Jason? It considerably slowed him down, which was good for Jason, but the new mental image searing itself into Louisa's retinas was not worth _anything_.

Nico coughed, great hacking coughs that violently shook him. Louisa startled, holding him tighter. Half the orb was gone. "Lou?"

"Just a bit more, cuz. Just drink a bit more." A violent crash, the hydra shrieked. Cold washed over Louisa's skin. The orb dribbled between her fingers and splashed to the floor.

"Duck and cover!" Percy yelled. In a heartbeat, Louisa turned her back to the fight, pressing against the wall. She cradled Nico tightly to her, one hand on the back of his head.

The sound was like a fiesta in an exploding gun powder factory. Projectiles shot all over the room. A chunk of ceiling collapsed and crushed a waterwheel. Cages fell, freeing two zebras and a pack of hyenas. Louisa tucked herself more firmly around Nico. Whatever her brother had set off, no _way_ was it going to affect her cousin. She risked a glance over her shoulder. Sandbags were raining down. One caught Piper's shoulder and she fell.

"Piper!" Jason cried. He forgot Otis in a heartbeat, turning his back. Otis raised his spear. Louisa held Nico upright between her legs, summoning her bow. She leaned back as best she could, firing at his face. The arrow exploded, barely heard in the cacophony Percy had caused, but it was enough to send the giant flying. He tumbled over a conveyor belt, clattering through weapons and armour.

Louisa took up shooting the monsters were they were. She ensnared animals in nets, without hurting them, she yelled at the zebras to calm down. Gradually the explosions quietened down. Otis was grumbling, pushing himself up, slipping on fallen weapons dented under his weight. He seemed more annoyed than hurt. Louisa notched an arrow. There was one final eruption, but it was not her doing. A single, pink firework crackled and slammed its way into the ceiling. It dropped a chunk of ceiling straight onto Otis. Jason was now with Piper, carefully examining her shoulder. It was at an unnatural, disturbing angle- dislocated.

Percy stood at the giants' control panel. He raised his sword, Ephialtes screamed. Percy slashed through the panel. "NO!" Ephialtes roared. "No, you've ruined the spectacle!" Percy turned too slowly. Ephialtes swung his spear like a bat, smacking Percy in the chest. He falls to his knees, pain turning his stomach to lava. Louisa gasped, hand on chest. Black spots danced in her eyes.

"Lou!" Nico called, unsure if she could hear him. His voice was weak and rasping, but he had to try. "Lou!" He noticed a minuscule shake of her head, she gulped. Her hand shook as she drew an arrow, taking aim at Ephialtes. The giant was raising his spear over Percy's head, grinning triumphantly.

Green goo splattered his face, hardening within seconds. He screamed, barely audible through the rock-goo. His spear fell from his hands, started hitting at his face to get the obstruction off. Percy took a breath, slowly rising to his feet. He held his sword ready, just as Ephialtes' fist smashed the rock-goo. He shook remnants from his face.

"Tired, Percy Jackson?" He noticed, catching his breath. "As I said, you cannot kill us. _We _can kill _you_ though!"

"That is the first sensible thing you've said all day, brother." Otis smiled grimly. As one, they pointed their weapons at Percy and Jason.

"We won't give up." Jason defied. "We'll cut you into pieces like Jupiter did to Saturn."

"That's right." Percy nodded. "You're both dead. I don't care if we've got a god on our side or not."

"Well, that's a shame." A new voice said. A platform lowered from the ceiling. A man in a purple camp shirt, khaki shorts and sandals with white socks was leaning on a pinecone topped staff. He raised his broad-brimmed hat, revealing eyes that flickered with purple fire. "I'd hate to think I made a special trip for nothing."

Everything quietened in Mr D's- Mr B's?- presence. The leopards scurried up to him, affectionately butting their heads on his legs. They got ear scratches in return, purring contentedly. "Really, Ephialtes?" The god raised a brow. "Using leopards for your 'spectacle'? That's over the line."

"You… you gods are doomed!" Ephialtes screeched. "Be gone, in the name of Gaia!" Bacchus ignored him. He surveyed the room, began walking. He picked up or poked at props, at platforms and the special effects set-up.

"Cheap." He said, dusting his hand on his shirt. "Tacky. Boring." He stopped at the smoking husk of the rocket-launching contraption, nudging it with his foot and distaste. "Cheap, tacky _and_ boring. Honestly, Ephialtes, you have no sense of style."

"My brother _oozes_ style!" Otis defended. Bacchus looked him up and down.

"Was that ironic word choice?" He asked flatly. "Put some pants on. Have you two gotten shorter?"

"We're plenty tall enough to destroy you!"

"Right." Bacchus vaguely nodded. "Anyway, you demigods got my attention. I'm here. Now I need to see if you are worthy of my help. Go ahead. Battle. If I'm interested, I'll jump in for the grand finale." He looked around again, oblivious to Percy turning pink as he struggled to formulate a coherent argument. "Mm," the god mused, "the stage hasn't been properly set." He dissolved into purple mist. Piper, Louisa and Nico all vanished with him.

The floor began to rise, the ceiling spread open in a series of panels. Sunlight poured in, making them blink and shield their eyes. They were in _the _Colosseum. The giants' special effects machine had gone into overtime; the Colosseum looked as good as new. Roaring applause came from thousands of Lares lining the stands. Sand covered the floor, garage-sized plaster mountains popped up, stone columns and life-sized plastic barnyard animals shortly after. A small lake filled itself on one side. Ditches criss-crossed for trench warfare.

Percy and Jason stood facing the twin giants. They saw Bacchus settle himself in the emperor's box. To his left, their friends. Louisa was tending to Piper's shoulder with water gloving her hands. On Bacchus's right, a satyr jittered nervously, holding Doritos and grapes.

The god raised a can of Diet Pepsi and the crowd went silent. "Juno says she has assembled a worthy crew of demigods! Show me! Entertain me, Heroes of Olympus! Give me a reason to do more!" Percy and Jason glanced at each. Neither got to speak- the twin giants attacked first.

Together, they picked up one of the plaster mountains, and hurled it towards the demigods. The boys bolted, diving into the nearest trench. The mountain shattered, plaster shrapnel rocketing in multiple directions.

Louisa glared at Bacchus.

"Let _me_ fight, let me help them!" She demanded.

"You are not one of the Seven," Bacchus replied calmly, "you are not allowed to intervene."

Percy and Jason attacked together. Percy made a water pipe burst at the giants' feet, shaking the floor. Jason blasted wind against Ephialtes' chest. He lost his grip on the mountain. His brother did too and it fell on Ephialtes. His snake feet stuck out, hissing their disapproval.

"Hey, Otis!" Percy jeered. "The _Nutcracker_ bites!" Otis bellowed with rage. He threw his spear, too angry to aim. Jason deflected it over Percy's head and into the lake. Otis charged them, empty-handed. He realised, too late, that charging a son of Poseidon next to a large body of water without a weapon was _probably_ _not_ a good idea.

Jason called on the wind and threw the giant into the water. Together, he and Percy launched themselves at him, bringing their blades down on his head. Otis burst into powder. The boys hopped back to dry land. Percy churned the water into a whirlpool. Every time Otis tried to reform, Jason blasted his head with lightning.

Louisa was humming nervously beside Piper. She could feel Percy tiring, could sense his irritation. She was almost done with Piper's shoulder.

"Let me tag in." She tried. Bacchus didn't so much as look at her, fixated on the battle. "Let me tag in," she repeated hotly, "I can-" Annoyance sparked the flames in his eyes.

"You are not one of the Seven," he said slowly, seconds from turning her into a dolphin, "your powers are unpredictable. You are not fit to prove your worth to me. Sit down." Louisa blinked at him. Piper pulled on her arm as soon as that expression changed, as soon as she looked ready to deck the god right in the nose. Piper tugged a little more and Louisa sat next to her, grumbling.

The mountain atop Ephialtes ruptured into thousands of chunks and fragments. He bellowed with fury, on his feet. Jason called down lightning, but Ephialtes caught it on his spear and flung it elsewhere, melting a life-sized plastic cow.

He slammed a stone column out of his way, like a stack of building blocks. Percy was trying to keep the whirlpool going, but had to change focus when Ephialtes got too close. He and Jason met the giant's charge, lunging around him. They stabbed and slashed, their swords a blur of gold and bronze. The giant parried every strike.

"I will not yield!" He declared. "You may have ruined my spectacle, but Gaia will still destroy your world!" Percy lashed out, slicing the spear in two. Ephialtes hardly batted an eye; he swept low with the blunt end, knocking Percy off his feet. Jason tried to take advantage, stepping into Ephialtes' guard. He stabbed at his chest, the giant parried, slashing the tip of his spear down Jason's chest, ripping his shirt. A thin line of blood ran down his sternum. Ephialtes kicked him backwards. Piper cried out, Louisa was on her feet. She glowered at the god, who was smiling, amused, eating Doritos.

The boys were down. Ephialtes towered over the, a spear half in each hand. Louisa lunged to the edge of the box, Piper grabbed her around the middle, throwing her weight back. They toppled backwards over their seat.

"You can't intervene!" She reminded her desperately.

A dark oval descended over the arena. Otis tried yelling a warning, but managed only gibberish.

"Don't worry, brother!" Ephialtes assured. "I will make them suffer!" The Argo II presented its port side. Green fire blazed on the ballistae.

"Acutally," Percy smiled sweetly, "look behind you."


	28. Chapter 28

**To JasonGraceIsDead- THIS. IS. SPARTA**

**And to Ravimar- hello! ^_^ Thank you very much, always appreciated! I'm currently working on the Blood of Olympus rewrite, almost done! Pre-warning- MEAN CHAPTERS! I have missed my cliffhangers :')**

* * *

Percy and Jason rolled out of the way as Ephialtes bellowed in disbelief. They made it into a trench just as the explosion rocked the Colosseum. The force of the blast swept their hair, dust and rubble billowed. Jason and Percy coughed, waving at dust around them. Percy stood on his toes once the noise settled, his ears ringing. Ephialtes lay on the floor, charred and groaning miserably. Otis floundered in the lake, fighting to reform with arms like burnt oatmeal. Percy looked up. Leo stood at the helm, grinning broadly and waving.

"He's mad." Jason coughed, smiling. Beside Leo, was Coach Hedge, victory dancing.

Percy climbed out first, Jason just behind him. He looked to the emperor's box, clenching his fists.

"Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little-" Bacchus appeared next to him.

"No need for that." He said coolly. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

"_Partners_?" Jason demanded. "You didn't _do_ anything!" The god ignored him, walking to the lake. The water drained away as he approached. Otis was a soggy, scorched mess at the bottom. Bacchus picked his way down effortlessly, raising his thyrsus. The Lares jeered and hollered, thumbs down. Bacchus smacked Otis on the head and the giant disintegrated.

Bacchus climbed back out to the crowd cheering. He strutted over to Ephialtes, smirking.

"DO IT!" The crowd roared.

"DON'T DO IT!" Ephialtes wailed. Bacchus tapped him on the nose with the pinecone and Ephialtes crumbled to ash. The ghosts cheered and whooped, throwing spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around, his arms raised triumphantly. Percy and Jason exchanged exasperated looks.

From the ship, their friends disembarked. From the emperor's box, Nico, Piper and Louisa slid to the floor on a water slide. Nico didn't seem to enjoy it, Piper _loved_ it. Hazel ran to her brother as soon as his feet touched the floor, crying tears of relief and throwing her arms around him.

"Well, that was fun." Bacchus remarked, staff resting on one shoulder. "You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Your _permission_?" Percy growled.

"Yes. Although _your_ voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune."

"Poseidon." Percy corrected automatically. "And what do you mean, _my_ voyage?" Bacchus ignored him, looking to Leo.

"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building. Best place to break through. Now, goodbye, my friends. And, uh, good luck with that other little matter." The god vaporised in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice.

"Did a god just wish us _good luck_?" Louisa hissed.

"That's reassuring." Leo sighed. He now stood between Jason and Percy. Louisa suddenly realised he was there, scowling and smacking him in the arm.

"_What happened_?" She demanded fiercely. Leo squeaked and ducked behind Jason.

"How'd you escape?" Percy translated.

"Oh," Leo smiled, "just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground and a weasel."

"I was the weasel." Frank said glumly.

"Basically," Leo continued, "I activated a hydraulic screw with the sphere- which is going to be _awesome_ once I've installed it on the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach's favourite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After _that_, it was easy finding you guys, thanks to the godly light show." He flailed his hands, miming explosions and fireworks.

"Where's Annabeth?" Percy cut across. Leo winced, glancing nervously at Frank.

"Yeah, about that… she's in trouble, we think. Hurt, broken leg, maybe… at least according to the vision Gaia showed us. Rescuing her is our next stop." Percy looked ready to strangle Leo. Louisa stood between them, bunching her jaw stubbornly. She stared her brother down and he sighed.

"Tell me about the vision," he eventually sighed, "tell me everything." The floor rumbled beneath their feet. Sections started to fall away.

"Let's talk on board," Hazel suggested, "we'd better take off while we still can."

* * *

They sailed out of the Colosseum and headed south. Traffic had come to a standstill, mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds from the ruins. None of the giants' spectacle had reached the streets and no-one seemed to notice the ship.

At the helm, Jason checked Piper's shoulder.

"I'm fine," she smiled reassuringly, "Lou fixed it."

Hazel was feeding Nico ambrosia. He could barely lift his head, talking so quietly, Hazel had to lean in to hear him. Frank and Leo recounted their trip, the room with the Archimedes spheres, the visions Gaia had shown them in the bronze mirror. Their best lead for finding Annabeth was to go to the Emmanuel Building, like Bacchus said. Frank was typing at the helm's computer. Leo was tapping at the controls. Coach was wrestling with an upside down map. Louisa corrected him on her return from getting Nico food.

Percy knelt next to Jason and Piper.

"How's the shoulder?" He asked.

"Stop worrying." She smiled. "Your sister is a wizard."

"Aww, thanks, Pipes." Louisa grinned at her. Piper blew her a kiss and faced the boys.

"You two did _great_." She beamed at them. Jason elbowed Percy.

"Not a bad team, you and me."

"Better than jousting in a Kansas cornfield." Percy agreed.

"There it is!" Leo exclaimed. "Frank, you're amazing! I'm setting course." Frank hunched his shoulders, smiling bashfully.

"I just read the name off the screen. Some Chinese tourist marked it on Google Maps."

"He reads Chinese!" Leo grinned proudly.

"Just a tiny bit."

"How cool is that?" Leo laughed, bouncing on the soles of his feet.

"Aww, Fraleo." Louisa smiled.

"I hate to interrupt," Hazel waved for their attention, "but you need to hear this." She stood with her brother, his arm around her shoulders. Nico looked like he regretted standing, but his eyes were dark with determination. He had always been pale, but now his skin looked like powdered milk.

"Thank you," he rasped, eyes darting anxiously about the group, "I'd given up hope."

"If ya weren't just comin' back from the brink of death, I'd smack ya. We had a deal, di Angelo."

"Yes, I know." Nico smiled weakly.

"You knew about both camps all along." Percy started. "You could've told me who I was when I first arrived at Camp Jupiter."

"Percy, I'm sorry." Nico swayed. "I discovered Camp Jupiter last year, my dad led me there. Though… I wasn't sure why."

"Again," Louisa rolled her hand over her head, "I knew about both camps too, don't take it out on Nico. The gods told us to keep quiet about 'em."

"Yes." Nico agreed. "The time wasn't right. Dad said it would be important for me to know." He doubled over in a coughing fit. Hazel held his shoulders until he could stand again. "I- I thought Dad meant because of Hazel." He wheezed. "I'd need a safe place to take her. But now… I think he wanted me to know so I'd understand how important your quest was. So I'd search for the Doors of Death."

"Ya could've asked me," Louisa frowned, "I'd have helped."

"I know. But you were looking for Percy."

"Percy had dozens of people lookin' for him. You were on ya own." Nico stayed quiet. Louisa pointed at him warningly. "Next suicide mission, I'm comin' too." Nico gave a tiny nod.

"Did you find the doors?" Percy asked.

"I was a fool." Nico said sadly. "I thought I could go anywhere in the Underworld, but I walked into Gaia's trap. I might as well have tried running from a blackhole."

"Um… what kind of blackhole are you talking about?" Frank asked, pushing his fingers together. Nico shook his head, too terrified to speak. He looked to Hazel. She lay a hand on his arm, smiling reassuringly.

"Nico told me that the Doors of Death have two sides. One in the mortal world and one in the Underworld. The _mortal_ side is in Greece, heavily guarded by Gaia's forces. That's where they brought Nico back into the upper world. They then took him to Rome."

"Where in Greece?" Piper asked.

"In the House of Hades." Nico replied. "An underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map, but… the mortal side isn't the problem. In the Underworld, the Doors of Death are… they're in… in…"

"Tartarus." Percy finished. "The deepest part of the Underworld." Nico squeezed his eyes shut.

"They pulled me into the pit, Percy. The things I saw…" His voice broke. Louisa moved to his other side, offering her hand. Nico gripped it, swaying unsteadily.

"No mortal has even been to Tartarus." Hazel said worriedly. "At least, no one has ever gone in and returned alive. It's Hades' maximum security prison, where he keeps old Titans and other enemies of the gods." She sighed. "It's where all the monsters go when they die on earth. It's… well, no one really knows what it's like." She looked to Nico. _No one except Nico._ She handed him his sword, he leaned on it like a cane.

"Even the gods don't go down there. Thanatos, the god of death, won't go anywhere near it."

"Let me guess," Leo piped up, "we'll have to go there?"

"No. It's impossible." Panic filtered into Nico's voice, widening his eyes. "I'm the son of Hades and even I barely survived. Gaia's forces overwhelmed me instantly. They're so powerful down there. No demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane." He looked to Louisa, eyes like shattered glass. Like something permanently broken. Louisa squeezed his fingers, a quiet conversation passing between them. They seemed to come to an agreement, nodding at the same time.

"Then we'll sail for Epirus." Percy said. "We'll just close the gates on this side."

"I wish it was that easy." Nico said. "The doors have to be closed on both sides, like a double seal."

"There has to be a way!" Jason fretted.

"I'll go." Louisa offered. Nico's nails dug into her hand. "I'm not one of the Seven, I'll go."

"No, Lou, not alone." He pleaded.

"Nico, it's OK."

"No, you've got more enemies down there than anyone I know, even Percy. You'll die."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, cuz."

The ship was descending towards a big, palace-like building.

"We'll figure the Tartarus problem out later." Percy said firmly. "Is that the Emmanuel Building?" Leo nodded, squinting at it.

"Bacchus said something about the parking lot? There it is." He pointed. "Now what?" Percy moved to his side, looking it over. Annoyance and worry lined his features.

"We _have_ to get her out."

"Well, yeah," Leo scratched at his chin, "but there's a parking lot in the way." Percy glanced over his shoulder. Coach Hedge was glaring at the parking lot, as if figuring out how best to hit it with his bat.

"Coach?" He called. "You still have ammo for those ballistae?" The satyr grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask!"


	29. Chapter 29

**To JasonGraceIsDead- is that a challenge?**

**To Ravimar- I excelled with cliffhangers when I wrote more often! I was always getting screamed at! Ahhh, good times! And not _every_ chapter, but I _do_ have a rather cliffhangery-plan! And I've reached the point in life where stress is a constant, overwhelming presence to the point I don't even notice it anymore! Ahaha, adulting! :D**

* * *

Coach took great joy in blowing up the parking lot. Cars vanished with the rubble. Leo steered the ship lower, Percy leaning over the railing. Below the lot, a cavern, dark and seemingly bottomless. As the hole expanded, as light began to overtake the shadows, he could see potentially miles and miles of webbing latching onto everything and anything, overlapping, criss-crossing. A flash of blonde, his gaze zeroed in.

"Annabeth!" He yelled.

"Here!" She waved. Percy beamed, his heart doing jumping jacks. _She was OK, she was there, she would be back with him in less than a minute. _

He was the first down the rope ladder. She shuffled her way over, sobbing, falling against his chest as her leg gave out. Percy hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head as she cried. He didn't care about the grime or webbing trailing from her, he had her back and that was all that mattered.

"It's OK," he said into her hair, "we're together."

Their friends gathered around them. Piper knelt to examine the bubble wrap cast.

"Oh, Annabeth," she said, her voice wobbling, "what _happened_?" Annabeth sniffed, wiping at her face. She drew confidence from Percy's arms around her and explained. She told them about the misogynistic ghosts of the temple of Mithras, the swarms of thousands upon thousands of spiders, the bridge she weaved. How she had found the statue and its captor, Arachne. When she was done, their faces were slack with amazement.

"Gods of Olympus," Jason marvelled, "you did all that _alone_. With a broken ankle."

"Well…" Annabeth smiled sheepishly. "_Some_ with a broken ankle."

"One sec." Louisa said, holding up a finger. She turned to the ship, raising her hands. Percy squeezed Annabeth, pride rolling from him in waves.

"You made Arachne weave her own trap. I knew you were good, but Holy Hera, Annabeth, you _did_ it!" He kissed her nose, beaming. "Generations of Athena kids tried and failed, but _you_ found the Athena Parthenos!" Annabeth felt her cheeks warm, allowing herself a smile too. Louisa turned back to them, water encasing her hands and lower arms.

"If I weren't broke, I'd've bet good money on ya, Blondie."

"Thanks, Lou."

"Now, hold still." She knelt. The water gently pulled away the makeshift cast, slathering around Annabeth's foot and calf. Within seconds, she could feel the pain dwindling. "This'll take me a minute, keep talkin'."

They focused on the statue.

"What do we do with her?" Frank asked. "She's _huge_."

"We'll have to take her with us." Annabeth answered. "To Greece. It's powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

"The giant's bane stands gold and pale, won through pain from a woven jail." Hazel recited. She looked to Annabeth, her admiration rising tenfold. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving her own jail." Annabeth grimaced. _With _a lot _of pain. _

Leo made a finger picture frame around the statue.

"It'll take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors. If she sticks out of the end, I might have to tie a flag around her feet or something."

"Yeah, no flag." Annabeth shook her head. "What about you guys? What happened with the giants?" Percy was the first to speak, filling her in. Nico didn't say much while he talked, looking at the ground as Percy started explaining about the Doors of Death- "They've got to be closed on both sides." He finished.

"So, the mortal side is in Epirus. At least that's somewhere we can reach." Louisa bounced to her feet so suddenly, she startled Piper.

"OK, no parkourin' on it. Ya will need some ambrosia or somethin', just ta make sure, but should be fine now."

"Thank you, Lou." Annabeth wiggled her toes, smiling as barely a twinge of pain came back to her.

"What about the other door?" Nico asked quietly. "It's in Tartarus."

"I'll go." Louisa volunteered instantly. Clamouring from the others, all shutting the idea down. "That's becomin' a habit, guys, I don't like it." She glowered round at them. "Again, I am _not_ one of you fancy Seven people. I don't even think I'm supposed ta be a part of this quest- Piper ain't seen me in her knife or anythin'-"

"Yes, you are." Percy argued. "You might not be one of the Seven, but you're my sister and you are _not-_"

"Oh, don't start that again! I can take care of myself!"

"I thought so too." Nico reminded her gravelly.

The chamber groaned. The statue tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne's support cables, but the foundation was crumbling. Annabeth yelled for them to secure it. Leo held his arms out to either side.

"Zhang! Get me to the helm!" Frank transformed into an eagle and they were gone. Jason wrapped his arm around Piper's waist and followed.

"This floor won't last!" Hazel warned. "To the ladder."

"To the ladder!" Louisa repeated with exaggerated declaration, laughing. Percy rolled his eyes at her, gripping Annabeth's hand and leading the way. Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. Hazel lunged for the bottom of the ladder, gesturing for Nico to hurry. The poor boy was slipping and sliding, dazed. Louisa appeared behind him, fireman-lifting him easily. Grappling lines shoot from the Argo and wrapped around the statue. Leo shouted orders from the helm, Frank and Jason flying about securing the lines.

Percy and Annabeth were almost to the ladder, _almost. _Louisa had set Nico down, encouraging him to climb. A sharp tug snapped webs taut on Annabeth's leg and she stumbled.

"What is it?" Percy asked, grip tightening on her hand. Before she could reply, her legs were yanked from under her and she fell on her face.

"Her ankle!" Hazel cried. "Cut it, cut it!" Louisa raced back to them, hopping from sections of the floor and dodging falling rubble deftly. Annabeth was dragged backwards. Percy grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along too. Louisa poured on the speed, leaping and rolling.

Annabeth hit the edge of the pit, her legs falling in. She sobbed- she should have cut the webs from her the moment she could. She and Percy fell over the edge, Louisa screamed.

Percy somehow grabbed a ledge, fifteen feet below the top of the chasm. He held on with one hand, Annabeth's wrist in the other. The pull on her leg was too strong, gaining power the longer they dangled there. _No escape_, said a voice from the darkness below, _I go to Tartarus and you will come too_.

Louisa appeared at the top of the pit, her bow in hand. Nico appeared two seconds later. Percy's face was white with effort. The pit shook.

"Percy, let me go." She cried. "You can't pull me up." He looked down at her. She could see in his eyes- he knew it was hopeless.

"Never." He said. He looked up to Nico and his sister. Louisa was aiming an arrow at them. "No, Lou! It's OK! Nico, the other side! We'll see you there!"

"No!" Louisa pulled the string taut. A rock slammed into her shoulder from above and her arrow whistled to the other side of the chasm.

"Lead them there!" Percy pressed on, focusing on Nico. "Promise me!" Louisa gritted her teeth, stiffly moving her shoulder. She could hardly lift her bow, but she tried. Nico nodded.

"I promise." He said. Percy smiled at him. Looked down at Annabeth.

"We're staying together," he promised, "you're not getting away from me. Never again."

"As long as we're together." Annabeth nodded. Sunlight streamed overhead. Maybe the last sunlight she would ever see. Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge and together, grasping each other's hands, he and Annabeth fell.


	30. Chapter 30

**Last chapter, then on to the House of Hades! **

**To Ravimar- Thank you! And yes, grief. Lots of grief. And then some grief afterwards. I do enjoy writing grief! **

**To JasonGraceIsDead- (I swear to gods, that name gets me every time D: ) And be patient! There is a plan and it's... not something I've done before, I'm quite excited to do it! ^_^ **

*****EDIT*** To JasonGraceIsDead, Chapter 30, there is more! The House of Hades rewrite is up and running, currently three chapters! Enjoy!**

* * *

Frank had to snatch Louisa up before the debris buried the pit. She kicked and screamed the whole way back to the ship. Now, she was smashing things, water bowed to her rage. Toilets, sinks, showers, the barrels of water lining every pass and floor- every single one exploded. A storm brewed overhead, thick and dark, rumbling angrily.

Leo had pulled the ship out seconds before the cavern imploded. They were now parked on a hill overlooking the city. Jason, Hazel and Frank had all gone back to search the rubble, but the cavern was gone. The scene was swarming with police and rescue workers. No mortals had been hurt.

Dazed with grief, Leo and the others- not Louisa- carefully loaded the Athena Parthenos into the hold, using the ship's hydraulic winches and assistance from Frank Zhang, part-time elephant. The statue just fitted, but they had no idea what to do with it.

Coach Hedge was too miserable to help. He paced the deck, sloshing through water, with tears in his eyes. He pulled at his goatee and slapped the side of his head- "I should've saved them! I should've blown up more stuff!"

Leo stood at the helm, taking a deep breath.

"Everyone below deck," he ordered, "get everything secure for departure."

"Go back!" Louisa screamed.

"Lou-"

"I told you all to let me go 'n' now look what's happened!" She pulled on her hair. Leo eyed the storm overhead. This was worse than the one she had made upon seeing Jason all those months ago. Gods, that felt like a _lifetime_ ago. How had he talked her out of that one? _How _was he going to talk her out of _this_?

Looking at her, now that she was still for a moment, he saw sparks of green energy flitting about her shoulder. Had she hurt it? He studied her face, she was pale and shivering, had abandoned her water-proofing. Curls of hair stuck to her forehead, her cheeks. Her eyes worried him the most. They had always been sea green, bright and powerful. Now they were dark green, teetering on colours akin to the ocean floor. He had no words to describe the anger he saw there. But he could feel it, crackling over his skin, squeezing his windpipe. Like he was already on the ocean floor, the pressure was crushing him faster than he could drown.

Frank came to his rescue. He snuck up behind Louisa, bear-hugging her from behind. She screamed vulgarities at him, kicking and twisting and bucking, but Frank had her arms pinned. He grimaced as sea sparks blazed over his skin, but he persisted. He took her below deck. Leo could hear her yelling from her cabin.

Piper sat with her, hurriedly drying her eyes on her sleeve. Once the door to her cabin had shut, all the fight seemed to drain out of her and she fell to her knees. She looked at Percy's bunk. _How long was this one going to stay empty?_

Piper didn't say anything. Later, Louisa was grateful for that. Instead, Piper sat at her side, gently hugging her, smoothing her damp hair back from her face. Louisa let her head fall on Piper's shoulder. Numbness crept through her limbs, she could hardly feel the ache in her shoulder for the ache in her chest. She should have jumped in that pit when she had the chance. She should have ignored the others and just fell. Maybe she would have seen Arachne on the way down, or even the webs that bound the spider to Annabeth. She could have stopped them falling in the first place if she had done what she had always done- gone on alone.

A knock on the door pulled Piper away from her. Nico appeared, half-falling, half-sitting in front of her. He gripped his sword with trembling hands, head bowed.

"They're not dead." He croaked. Louisa stared at the top of his head. For a moment, they stayed like that. It felt an eternity had passed before Nico met her gaze. Piper sat on the edge of Louisa's bunk, silently marvelling at how easily they understood each other without a word. What was their story?

Nico sighed, breaking the silence. He shook his head. "We have to get them to Epirus." He said stiffly. "_That_ is our quest now." Louisa looked down. Her hands lay in her lap, curling into fists. Nico hesitated, offering his hand to her. She glowered at it, but took it anyway. He rose unsteadily, leaning on his sword. Piper followed them back up to the others.

Jason stood by the rail, knuckles white with grip. Frank was crying softly, sat on the floor. Hazel sat next to him, trying to soothe him. Leo was still at the helm, sniffing, hands shaking. Coach was swinging his bat, muttering to himself. They all looked round as the others came up, their attention falling on Louisa. She looked up. The storm still hung overhead, but was now quiet.

"We have a plan, Lou." Jason said gruffly. "We _will_ go to Epirus, whatever Gaia throws at us. We're going to do everything we can to get them back."

"I'm going to install the Archimedes sphere." Leo told her. "It'll upgrade the ship. And I'm going to study the scrolls we got too. There's _got_ to be all kinds of weapons." He looked over his shoulder, expression softening. "If I have to design a grabber arm long enough to get them back, I will. We're going to hit Gaia with all kinds of hurt." Festus creaked his jaw and blew fire defiantly. Leo managed a weak smile. "Can't argue with a dragon."

Jason moved over to Leo, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan, Admiral." Leo seemed to like that title, grim determination filling his eyes. "You want to set course?" Leo nodded, facing forward once more. They would find the House of Hades. They would take the Doors of Death. They would haul Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus and ground them for life. And they would punch Gaia in the nose and eat ice cream to celebrate. Except lactose-intolerant Frank.

"Yeah." Leo said, taking one last look at the cityscape of Rome, turning blood-red in the sunset. He held his hand out to Louisa. "Festus, raise the sails." She stumbled forward, her hand cold in his. "We've got friends to save."

* * *

**The Blood of Olympus rewrite is finished! Just needs fine-tuning, but the series is done! Onto the next bit! Ya'll not gonna like me! 3:) **


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